Under The Sun
by baby blue eyes10
Summary: The masks they'd let slip slide seamlessly back into place; replacing their open hearts with the frozen demeanor of careful statues. The town they loved had changed them, for better or worse, and the only ones who knew were their boys from Minnesota.
1. It Happens This Way

Disclaimer: It doesn't belong to me, but to the beautiful Scott Fellows. However, I would like to take credit for the Other Character's in my story. Song Lyrics are credited to Disney because I definitely didn't write them! :)

Author's Note: Well, hello there everyone! This will be the first chapter of the first story that I have ever written for the Big Time Rush section of this website. Kind of exciting if you ask me. Anyways, I'm not big on introductions becauses I don't really have much to say about the story at this point except for thanks for clicking and thinking about giving this story a chance! Please, feel free to leave me a review and tell me what you think! The next few chapters are already written as well so they should be up soon too.

Thanks again! And have a wonderful day!

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_It Happens This Way_

Christopher Johnson rubbed his neck as he watched the three girls in front of him. The shortest of the three paced back and forth in front of his desk like a caged tiger in the zoo, planning her next move before she would strike. He could feel himself perspiring under the harsh glare of the second girl, unnervingly staring without a blink of her unnaturally blue eyes. The only one he could find solace with was the tall blonde who looked at her pacing friend warily.

"I don't see why it is of vast importance that we take on this job for you," The pacing girl stopped, pressed her hands onto her lean hips and bent down to look him in the eyes. Her green eyes were narrowed and Christopher could feel his tie strangling him. She straightened back up and then resumed her pacing. He cleared his throat to begin speaking.

"Ms. Monroe, as Dead of Students I am at the liberty to choose the top students to help incorporate new students here at Hart." His voice was hesitant, as if he didn't want to startle the two ticking bombs in front of him.

The pacing girl, her pin-straight, below the elbow length hair spinning, sat down hard in the middle chair between her blonde friend and her lighter brunette counterpart. "There has to be other students that would be willing to do this for you," The blonde spoke in her soft voice and Christopher felt trapped between the three top Juniors at his beloved school.

Taking a handkerchief from his suit pocket, he glanced at the thermometer in the room, willing the damn thing to come on before he passed out. He once again cleared his throat before the only student who hadn't spoken yet opened her mouth.

"It seems to me that you left this to the last minute, Mr. Johnson," She said without much emotion in her voice. Her face was passé, but her piercing blue eyes were probing.

"Tess!" Her blonde friend snapped while giving a slight shake of her head. 'Tess' shrugged as if she could care less that she was speaking to an authority member like this. "Dean, we would be willing to help new students get themselves incorporated into the school, but having them follow us around for the school day is not a productive use of our time."

"Leah's just being nice," The darker-haired brunette spoke. "I don't come to school everyday to baby-sit some fourteen year old freshmen. They should have been at orientation like everyone else."

Having no retort to this last comment, the Dean of Students could find no other way to compromise. "The choir is always complaining about a new piano. I'll work on the School Board to see if we can make that happen." If there was one thing these girls cared about more than anything else at this school, it was the choir. Looking at each other and exchanging a mental conversation, the girls came to an agreement.

"We'll do it," The leader of the group, Sophie Monroe, said and the girls got up from their seats while gathering their stuff. "When do they get here?" She questioned as she went to open the door to leave.

"The boys should be here soon," He said while thinking back to the schedule the pretty assistant had dropped off with him yesterday.

With a curt nod, the three cousins were gone, the remorseful blonde giving him a small smile as she shut the door. Sighing while loosening his tie, Christopher Johnson closed is eyes. _Another successful encounter with the Monroe's._

Out in the main lobby of William S. Hart High School, Leah Monroe turned to her friends, her shyness falling away as her gray eyes flashed. "You two have _got_ to learn how to contain yourselves. Sophie, you can't talk to an authority figure that way. And Tess, I know you love to do the whole 'who gives a shit' thing but that was serious. What if they took away the music department? It's already failing as is," She muttered while crossing her arms and looking down at her friends.

At five-foot-nine, Leah Monroe was the tallest of the three cousins. She was also, as they told her repeatedly, the most anal. Sophie Monroe swung her loose hair over her shoulder and rolled her eyes while fiddling with her bangs. "You worry too much, Leah. Calm down; we're getting a new piano _and_ our lovely Dean gets what he wants. Everyone wins," She told her older cousin while sending her a dazzling smile.

"Of course, if you want me to I'll go apologize. But, really, who else can I practice my acting skills on but the unexacting faculty?" Tess Monroe said as she stood on her tiptoes and hugged Leah.

Leah held her frown for a moment more before she laughed softly, as was her nature, and smiled widely showing her teeth. "We're getting a new piano!" She said while spinning slightly, her curly bob bouncing around her shoulders. Tess joined in, and after a moment of rolling her perfectly mascara'd eyes, Sophie began to bounce around the lobby.

Being the clumsiest, but also most enthusiastic, of the group, Sophie spun around, whipped Tess in the face with her hair, and then tripped over her dark green flats. Falling to the ground and taking the girls with her, they ended in a pile-up while continuing to laugh. Leah's soft laugh mixed with Tess's giggling shrieks while Sophie's natural snorting laughter caused the girls to laugh more.

"Stop, stop," Tess said as she stood from the pile-up and straightened out her shredded jean shorts. Fixing her orange and white nautical tank-top, she looked down at the other two while raising an eyebrow. "You two are so childish. And Leah, nice bra. Victoria Secret's?"

With a shriek, Leah jumped up, her face going red as she adjusted her yellow button down shirt-dress which had shifted to reveal her polka dotted bra. With a scowl, she pushed her rolled up sleeves back up to her elbows and adjusted her gray leggings. "I'm not speaking to you," She said in a blank voice, but then she smiled, her face still tinged with red.

"I for one just wish that people could see us when we are in our natural habitat." Sophie said while continuing to sit on the floor, her legs crossed Indian style totally disregarding the fact that she had on a high-waisted blowy skirt, that was currently puffed out around her upper thighs. She made a face by rolling back her top lip and crossing her eyes, and then adjusted her navy blue t-shirt.

Without warning, all three girls began to make a pained face and put their faces into their shoulders. "Where's the cat?" Leah asked in a loud, distorted voice while Tess mumbled on about cockroaches.

"Sugar water!" Sophie said in the same voice and began to walk around in a stilted swagger. The façade wasn't held for long as the three dissolved into giggles again.

The laughing stopped, however, as the doors leading into the lobby from the school opened and a freshman boy walked through, looking at the older girls as most boys did. The masks the girls had let slip for a moment slid seamlessly back into place. Drama-Queen-Bee Sophie cocked her hip and stared at the young boy, batting her eyelashes slowly. Tough-but-cute Tess smiled prettily at the boy, crossing her arms and looking for the entire world like a model. And the devastatingly shy Leah returned, grasping her hands behind her back and holding her breath while biting her lip.

It wasn't for a second that this boy saw the girls as they only were around each other, but then he slipped into the office and the girls stood frozen for a moment. Leah let out her breath, while Tess continued to stand with folded arms, and Sophie flipped her hair before reaching down for her Coach Messenger bag.

"Let's go wait for these guys in the choir room. They aren't here yet so they can come to us." Sophie said and the other two girls followed in line behind her. Tess swung her leather satchel over her shoulder and walked in her slow, stalking gait, while Leah held her books in her arms, her purse forgotten in her locker.

The hallways were deserted as they went through during their lunch period, but Sophie never changed her saunter and Leah kept her head down. "I need to stop by my locker," Leah muttered and she left the other two girls who in turn went towards the beloved choir room. The only room at this school that they could show their true selves and emotions in.

Tess and Sophie continued down the hallway, pausing to open the door, before continuing into the choir room. The bright green walls clashed horribly with the violently orange carpet. The old Steinway piano in the corner was horribly out of tune and falling apart. And the raised stage at the end of the room was chipping and rotted.

The room, however, had charisma. It told stories. It was the place the girls had come as a solace before Sophomore year when they grew into their limbs. Tess sat down at the piano while Sophie sat on the stage. As they waited for Leah to enter the room, Tess began to pound out some chords on the piano while Sophie hummed softly and swung her legs. The song had just started to take form when Leah walked in.

"Any particular reason you're playing this beautiful song, Tess?" Leah asked while she dropped her books and her oversized purse to the floor haphazardly. Tess shrugged, smiled, and motioned to Sophie who hopped up onto the stage and then dodged a split floor board.

"_If there's a prize for rotten judgment, I guess I've already won that."_ She winked at Leah who acted like she was swooning and then she began to strut around the stage. "_No man is worth the aggravation. That's ancient history; been there, done that."_

"_Who ya' think you're kidding? He's the Earth and Heaven to you," _Leah and Tess sang together as they sat at the piano, Tess playing the song and Leah swaying back and forth while adding in random notes. "_Tried to keep it hidden, honey we can see right through you. Girl, you can't conceal it, we know how you're feeling; who you're thinking of."_

Sophie jumped off the stage while adding in the oh's and then leaned across the piano while dancing overdramatically. "_No chance, no way! I won't say it; no, no."_

"_You swoon, you sigh. Why deny it, uh-oh."_

"_It's too cliché. I won't say I'm in love!"_

While Leah and Tess continued to do the shoo doops, Leah got off the piano bench and danced her way over to Sophie who spun her around while they did a funny version of the waltz. Sophie continued to sing while they continued to harmonize.

"_I thought my heart had learned its lesson. It feels so good when you start out. My head is screaming, 'Get a grip girl, unless you're dying to cry your heart out.'" _

As the girls harmonized, danced around, and did what they loved to do, four faces vied for spots at the door to see who was singing. Three adults and one administrator stood listening as well.

"_You keep on denying, who you are and how you're feeling. Baby, we're not buying. Hun, we saw you hit the ceiling. Face it like a grown up. When you going to own up that you got, got, got it bad?"_

"_No chance, no way; I won't say it. No, no," _Sophie's voice rang out as if she was really arguing with her two friends. The emotion on her face laid out for everyone to see. Her green eyes flashed but her smile was giving her away.

From the piano, Tess's voice sounded. "_Give up; give in. Check the grin you're in love!"_

"_This scene won't play; I won't say I'm in love."_

"_You're doing flips; read our lips, you're in love!" _Leah sang as she came up behind Sophie and pinched her sides. The girls laughed while Sophie continued to sing.

"_You're way off base, I won't say it."_ Sophie sang loudly, running away from Leah who was chasing her towards the piano for their favorite grand finale.

"_She won't say it, no!" _Tess and Leah harmonized while Sophie climbed up onto the piano top. The old instrument gave a slight groan, but like countless times before, it held strong.

"_Get of my case; I won't say it!" _

"_Now don't be proud, it's okay. You're in love."_

Tess cut out the piano from playing, chords filling the air as Sophie got a dreamy look on her face and leaned back on her arms.

"_Oh, at least out loud, I won't say I'm in love." _

Tess played the final chord while she and Leah did the final sha-la-la and sighed. They stayed like that for a moment before Sophie peeked open and eye and shot them a shit-eating grin. The grin was returned and then Leah started to smile, while Tess started to laugh. As the three began to snap and do random beats, the door opened stopping them effectively.

The shock of seeing people actually there was enough to leave the remnants of smiles and true happiness on the girls' faces before the masks slid back into place. Standing behind Mr. Johnson, who must have led the new students to the only place the girls ever stayed, was an extremely large man wearing copious amounts of gold jewelry, a pretty black woman holding a clipboard, a smiling tall, thin woman who just screamed motherly wisdom, and four teenage boys.

Who were definitely not freshmen.

Leah immediately shook her side-swept bangs in front of her eyes, hiding her face. Tess looked straight on at the crowd, a half-smile on her face and her strikingly blue eyes boring into each person. Sophie, on the other hand, had crossed her legs, straightened her hair, and was giving them all her classic smirk. Each girl from moments before was gone, replaced by someone else completely.

Mr. Johnson turned to the crowd of people behind him, smiling tightly and looking around nervously. "As you can see, our music department is astounding, even though we do not have the funds right now to sustain a proper room."

The large man looked around the room and lowered his sunglasses. "Well, it's doable." He spoke with barely concealed disgust. Sophie sat up straighter on the piano, the offense registering as personal to her. She took her music seriously and did not enjoy the sarcasm.

Hopping down from the piano before Leah could calm her down; she sauntered over to where the adults were standing. She smiled in her commanding way and then stuck her hand out firmly. "Sophie Monroe. I'm a junior here at Hart and our Fine Arts department is more than just doable." She shook each person's hand firmly.

Following behind her, Leah and Tess each introduced themselves. Tess smiled secretively while she spoke, and Leah stood to her full height while talking to the adults. The boys, who had yet to introduce themselves, stood watching the girls. Finally, as Mr. Johnson talked about the other amenities offered at Hart, the girls turned their attention from defending the music studio to looking at their 'shadows.'

Sophie took in each boy, from the towering model with nice guns, the beautiful eyes of a boy with thick eyebrows, the brunette with the devastating smile, to the tan-skinned funny guy. _All in all_, she thought, _it could be worse._ She gave them the same smile she had earlier and walked a little closer, her two wingman at her sides. "So new guys, you're not from around here are you?" She asked in a slightly raspy voice.

As the model smiled at her, she perused her options. She was just looking at the one with the smile when she caught his eye. Taken aback for a moment at the look he was giving her, she looked away quickly and focused on what Tess was saying. Or at least acted like it. Why did this stranger look like he knew what she was doing?

Logan Henderson looked at the long-haired drama queen in front of him. No doubt she was pretty, beautiful even, but he had seen the look on her face a million times with James so it wasn't fooling him. It was what the boys liked to call the 'hunting' look. And it meant heartbreak. He continued to look at her, meeting her emerald eyes occasionally as she looked back at him, while the girl with the aqua eyes talked.

Tess wasn't sure which one of these boys she hated more at the moment. Tall, dark, and stupid or tall, blonde, and eyebrows. As she introduced herself, Eyebrows had stared none-to-discretely at her breasts. And if there was one thing she hated about new guys, it was the fact that they didn't think she could kick their ass. Of course, she came off as nice, the one in the group that wasn't as abrasive as Sophie or as reserved as Leah, but in reality she could be just as much of a bitch as the rest of the catty tag-alongs in their grade.

Kendall looked at Tess Monroe. And when he said looked, he meant stared. Did she not realize that there was a huge piece of dust clinging to the bright orange stripe of her sweater? When he looked back up and caught her eye, she was looking straight at him with those baby blues, one eyebrow raised as if she wanted to know why he was staring at her chest. Right. Clearing his throat, he spoke as seriously as he could so as not to burst into laughter.

"You've got a huge piece of lint stuck on your shirt there." He smiled helpfully. Not expecting his answer, Tess looked down and saw the sawdust hanging right over her left breast. _Fuck_, she thought as she picked the lint off and blushed, hard. She had just been conceited enough to think he was that much of a leech. As everyone laughed, she hid her face from view and looked at her gray suede shoes. _I definitely need to stop hanging out with Sophie,_ she told herself as she looked back up and couldn't help but smile.

Leah had never felt so…short. Standing at four inches taller than Tess and almost half the female population and a good chunk of the male's, she was not a short girl. But compared to the two giants standing in front of her, she felt like Sophie. Pushing her hair from her face, she looked around at the boys, taking each in while smiling politely while the others conversed.

While both of the Jolly Green Giants looked to be nice enough, she could tell right away that the obvious leader was the blonde. The boys congregated around him, much like she and Tess did Sophie, and he exuded an easy going attitude with a hint of confidence. The brunette pretty boy, however, was standing so smug and almost too comfortable in his own skin. Plus, if she was being honest, there was a yellow bandana in his pocket.

The Hispanic boy smiled in a way that promised fun and she felt herself smiling back at him for no reason. When he caught her eye, she blushed violently and tilted her head slightly away. Having the advantage of being tall was helpful when singing back-up and being seen, but when she wanted to disappear it was slightly harder. Finally, her eyes settled on the smartest looking one. He was about her height and she took in the way he was dressed.

Button down red plaid shirt, hidden behind a grey sweater vest, with dark wash jeans. She watched him talk, the jumpy sort of way he did so giving away his hidden nervousness. _Know how that is,_ she thought and when he looked up she gave him the full power of her smile while pushing her hair back out. He smiled back, turning slightly towards her to include her in the conversation.

James crossed her arms over his chest and looked at each girl. The one closest to him was baring just enough leg to keep him interested, but seemed to already hate him. Not that he really cared; he did like a challenge. The one with the smoldering green eyes looked promising as she caught his eye and gave him a slight wink. He tossed his hair from his eyes and tilted his head slightly. _Ah, so even the Queen Bee realizes we have potential_, he thought as he blinked slowly and then moved his attention.

The blonde was watching Logan with a smile, and as she pushed her hair out of her eyes, he saw the odd color of her eyes. While the leg girl had such bright eyes so much so that it was like looking at the ocean, the color of this one's eyes were such a different color of gray that they looked purple. He leaned in a little to get a better look, but before he could she had shifted as if she knew someone was looking at her. He made a mental note of that and turned back to the conversation.

"Well, Mr. Rocque, if you and Ms. Knight would come into my office we can finalize everything while the boys get to their first class of the day." The boys looked over at the twitchy, sweaty Dean of Students and then to Gustavo. He looked even less swayed by the idea of them attending a regular school than he did the day they brought up the idea.

With wide eyes, Kendall looked at Kelly, mentally telling her to do something. Seeing the desperate look in their eyes, Kelly pushed Gustavo to follow the adults out of the room. "Oh, we'll be back to pick you up and drive you to practice at three-forty."

As the door opened, the bell rang and Leah, Tess, and Sophie went to collect their things. "I have Art History with Freeman this period." Leah said while shoving her books into her oversized bag. Looking at them from under her bangs, she asked, "Any of you have that class?"

They consulted their schedules and Logan smiled. "I've got it this period too." Leah smiled slightly and then waved at Tess and Sophie as she and Logan made their way out of the choir room.

"And we each have Psychology with Jones so I guess you're with us." Sophie said, swinging her bag up onto her shoulder. She began her way out of the room, James catching up with her. The two began to talk and Sophie laughed, not her real snorting laughter, but the laughter she used when she flirted with a boy.

Tess, on the other hand, threw her bag at Kendall who caught it and then smiled. "You can carry my bag since you were so kind to point out my embarrassment earlier." She strode past him, not pausing to let them catch up. Once out in the hallway, she smiled at a few people and glanced around for the tall blonde head of Leah. She saw her walking towards Freeman's classroom and wished she had taken Art History, not for the first time that semester.

Kendall looked at Carlos, who was laughing slightly. "Shut up," He said while holding the leather bag in his hands and following after the girl who was supposed to show him around but had since left them both.

Maybe this had been a bad idea.

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Thanks again for reading the first chapter! Once again, feel free to review and let me know what you think! Tips, what you liked, what you didn't, are all welcomed. And to those of you concerned that these characters are going to be total MarySue, perfect princess, etc. they won't be. Give them some time to grow on you and tell you their real selves.

Peace, Love, and Happinness!


	2. More Than It Seems

Disclaimer: I don't have anything witty to say to this, so I don't own it. There. Also, don't own the song that's used; that's all Smokey Robinson.

Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thanks for the support on the first chapter. It was much appreciated and helpful even it does seem that it took me forever to actually upload this chapter. I promise that I'm working hard on the third one as I type this out to you because it's taking me forever to get the characters down to how I want them. Anyways, I'd like to thank **cheyskyeenne, Twilightfreak37, SeekDreamsandFindHope, Stellasaurs, Vladdiechica, Like Oh My God, Lola, GilbertDrone328**, and **amuletgirl5** for their awesome reviews! You people are the shit, did you know that?

So, here's the second chapter. Tell me what you think and I promise to write a lot more in the future. And if you feel like it, the song version used in this is Tracks of My Tears (Rod Stewart's version) which can be found on the album Soul book. I recommend listening to it if you want the full experience!

Enjoy!

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Chapter Two:

"_More Than It Seems"_

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James Diamond sat at the rundown grand piano the choir owned as he watched people filter into the room. His first two classes of the day, Psychology and European History, weren't as bad as he had thought. It didn't mean that he was happy about being at Hart when the Palm Woods was just as easily manageable, but he was taking one for the team, so to speak. Because Kendall, Logan, and Carlos wanted to be normal teenagers still, he was willing to compromise. They had gotten him this far so he would do something for them.

Speaking of Logan, he was walking through the doors to the room now with the blonde, Leah, which he was supposed to shadow. James watched as Logan said something and she laughed, hiding her smile behind her hand. His eyes tracked her as she walked over to where Tess and Sophie were standing near the stage, and then Logan went to stand beside Kendall, who was talking to some kid that had entered the room.

After looking around the room again, James felt the bench settle next to him and the smell of cinnamon met his senses. "May I inquire as to why you are staring so hard at the room? The room not up to your Minnesota standards?" Sophie laughed while nudging his arm. Turning his attention to her, James flicked his hair out of his eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure we've ever had anything this," He searched for the word, "charismatic; even in Minnesota." He smiled down at her, and she rolled her eyes at him before hitting a C chord. As if noticing the sound, the two other girls, one a redhead and one with ebony hair, brought their attention to the piano. The other boy that Kendall and Logan were speaking to did the same, while Leah, Tess, and Carlos hopped off the decaying stage.

Sophie hit the three notes again, this time the club harmonized with the intervals. As the bell rang and they continued to sing random notes throughout the C scale, a graying woman waltzed through the door and smiled at everyone. She clapped her hands and they mock bowed.

Then she turned to Kendall, and opened her hands towards the room. "Everyone, I take it that we have all met our newest additions." Tess, Leah, and Sophie nodded with polite smiles. Mrs. Burbage was the only instructor at this school that knew the girl seriously.

"Samantha, Emily, Travis; have you been introduced?" Mrs. Burbage spoke to the three other members of the choir that the boys hadn't met yet. "Well, boys, this is Samantha Furrow," She pointed towards the redheaded Senior who gave a slight wave. "Emily Green," The ebony haired girl blinked her overly made-up eyes and then gave a short lift of her lips in a deluded smile. "And last but not least the only boy to join our little ensemble; Travis Martin."

While Logan and Kendall went to shake hands with the girls, James joined Carlos in standing next to Leah. He had already met the girls and introduced himself to Travis earlier in Psychology. "Isn't it cool how there aren't that many people in the choir?" Carlos said in an excited whisper. "It's like a bigger version of a band."

"There actually is a band that plays with us for performances," Leah said in a quiet voice. She pushed her hair out of her face and turned towards Carlos. "Usually, during practice we just use a C.D. or Tess plays the piano accompaniment. There's nothing compared to singing live with a big Jazz band behind you though." Her gray eyes turned misty and Carlos smiled.

James, however, was staring down at the shorter girl. "So the performances bring in a big crowd then?" He asked with curiosity. Leah caught his eye, looking up and then looking back down when she realized that his attention was focused on her. What was with this girl? She was one of the 'it' girls; why was she so shy? Determined to get down to it, James opened his mouth to speak again when Mrs. Burbage spoke again.

"Mr. Diamond; would you care to sing the piece you used for your audition? I feel that the version I've found would be a good warm up song for us today." She smiled kindly at him, but her eyes left no room for argument or dissent. James's heart started to pick up and he looked over to Kendall, his best friend and the only one that knew how to keep him calm.

Kendall made his way over to James, knowing that while he was a good singer, the front of confidence was just that. "Come on, James. Are you going to sit back and let everyone wonder why we're here or are you going to show them that we've got what it takes? You don't want to prove Gustavo right, do you? He thinks we can't even last a day here."

James nodded and then walked up to Mrs. Burbage to take the piece of sheet music she was holding. Taking in a deep breath, he looked over the page as the choir director passed out the harmony to the other members. Confident that he knew the song, James looked over the new rhythm and sections. He could do this.

Nodding, Tess reached behind her and started a rather upscale stereo system while everyone milled about. Taking another breath, James closed his eyes and began to sing.

"_People say I'm the life of the party, cus' I tell a joke or two." _Someone started the snaps, and opening his eyes, James saw that Logan had started to keep the beat. He couldn't help the slight smirk that appeared on his face as he continued.

"_Although I might be a laugh of the loud and hearty, deep inside I'm blue. So take a good look at my face; you'll see my smile looks out of place. If you look closer it's easy to trace the tracks of my tears."_

The two girls, Samantha and Emily, came in with a harmonized coo while the break started before the second verse. Without realizing it, James had started to move around the room while the others swayed along, continuing to snap as the music picked up.

"_I need you; need you! Since you left me, if you see me with another girl,"_ He walked up next to Tess acting like the one he was singing to her as he swung his arm around Sophie who rolled her eyes but continued to sing. "_Seeming like I'm having some fun."_

"_Having some fun," _The choir harmonized and he started to walk around again. Holding out his hand, Kendall stepped forward and started to dance with Leah as Carlos and Tess began their waltz around the room. Logan and Samantha were next, while Travis and Sophie danced. Leaving James with Emily, he spun her around while continuing to sing the melody as the rest of the choir joined in.

"_Although she may be cute, she's just a substitute because you're the permanent one." _They all switched partners before the chorus, Mrs. Burbage keeping them in formation, instructing while they sang and danced. It was sloppy, but they were all smiling.

"_So take a good look at my face; you'll see my smile looks out of place. If you look closer it's easy to trace the tracks of my tears." _James and Tess sang the duet together as the rest of the choir faded out, ready to come in when they finished.

"_I need you! I need you!" _Sophie and Leah sang out in two different parts. "_Yeah,_" James sang and the girls echoed him. "_I need you, I need you!"_

"_Outside?"_ The girls questioned.

"_I'm masquerading."_ Kendall sang out.

"_Inside?_" They echoed again.

"_Inside my hope is fading._" Logan sang, his voice clearer than usual when he was singing without the pressures being under the harsh glare of the studio provided.

"_Justify!"_

"_Just a clown since you put me down! My smile is my make-up I wear since my break-up with you." _James took back over while the finale began.

"_Baby! Baby! Baby, baby, baby! Take a good look at my face. You'll see my smile, looks out of place. If you look closer it's easy to trace the tracks of my tears!"_

"_Baby; baby, baby, baby!"_

"_Take a good look at my face. Yeah, you'll see my smile looks out of place."_

"_Yeah!"_

"_If you look closer it's easy to trace the tracks of my tears_." Everyone faded out with the music as James ended the song_. "The tracks of my tears. If you look closer it's easy to trace, the tracks of my tears."_

"_Ooh."_

Mrs. Burbage ended the song with a large clap and everyone joined in while they clapped the new kids on the backs. It looked like they would be less of a burden than originally thought.

After the bell had rang, roughly forty-five minutes later, the boys left the school to meet up with Kelly outside while Leah, Sophie, and Tess gathered their things and met back out at Leah's white BMW convertible M6. As they neared the car, Sophie flung her bag in through the open top and yelled, "Shotgun!"

"That's so unfair, Soph! You got it on the way here!" As the two cousins bickered about the front seat, Leah got in the driver's seat and slid on her sunglasses, tying her curly hair back with a green twist-tie.

"Can you both just get in the car before I leave you? It's about a thirty minute car ride back to LA so if you want to walk," She left the sentence hanging there while Tess and Sophie squared off. Finally, Sophie sighed and slumped her shoulders making herself seem less of a threat. Tess, thinking she had the seat in the bag, made the crucial mistake of loosening her hold on the door so that Sophie could climb in.

In less than a second, Sophie had jumped the door completely, landing on her bag but securing the front seat. Tess looked at her in surprise. "Play the victim and you will be the victim." Sophie said in a sad voice while Tess glared and stood outside the car with her arms crossed. She opened her mouth to retort when Leah lowered her glasses and revved the engine.

"I'm a'getting, I'm a'getting!" She said in her best impersonation of the vulture from Robin Hood. Once she was securely in the car, Leah backed out slowly while Sophie adjusted the radio. As they were pulling out of the Performing Art School's spacious parking lot, the radio came to life. While Lady GaGa's electric voice filtered out, Leah raised one hand to her ear while keeping the other on the wheel. Tess mimicked her position while groaning out a no!

Sophie smiled evilly, turning the music up higher and singing like a robot. "Rah, rah, rah-bah-bah."

"Shut it!" Leah yelled over the music and the wind that was whipping her hair around, even though most of it was tied back. In the background, Tess was yelling 'la la la' in a loud voice, and Sophie laughed loudly while turning down the music and pulling out her iPod.

"Fine; but I get to pick out the music." The other two nodded their assent while it was silent except for the whipping of the wind through the car while Leah drove carefully through the town to the highway. She had just stopped the car at a red light when the first notes of the song came through.

"Yes! It could have been much worse," Tess said while she reached up and cranked the music loudly. While the cars next to theirs looked over in slight annoyance, Sophie and Tess began to dance wildly.

"_I came here to make you dance tonight! I don't care if I'm a guilty pleasure for you,_" The girls sang along with the sound of Cobra Starship while the light turned green and Leah rolled her eyes while inching forward. As she began to speed up, she spotted a black limo out of the corner of her eye. "_Shut up 'cus we won't stop! We're getting down 'til the sun's coming up."_

"Hey, check that out," She said while motioning with her head as the limo drove up along side of them. As Tess continued to flail around as much as her seat belt would let her, Sophie leaned over, practically in Leah's lap, and threw up her fingers in the rock and roll symbol. Leah laughed and honked her horn as they continued to laugh.

Turning onto the highway, the girls waved goodbye to the black limo and then settled back in their seats for the rest of the thirty-minute drive. Eventually, the car signaled towards the Los Angeles exit and once they were safely down the ramp, Leah lowered her sunglasses and turned slightly in her seat to look at Tess. "Sophie's parents are home and Zack has the house this afternoon for some reason," She said referring to her older brother who had just gotten home for his Spring Break.

"You know you guys don't even have to ask," Tess said while running her fingers through her windswept hair. As an only child, Tess was used to having an empty house to herself, so she invited people over as much as possible to fill the void. It wasn't hard either considering the fact that the girls were always together. Sophie smiled at her and continued to flip through songs on the stereo.

"Well, I'm glad we can always go to yours. With Leslie at my abode until she 'finds' a house," Here Sophie rolled her eyes while talking about her second oldest sister, "It's practically unbearable at my crib."

"Please tell me that you just used the word crib in an actual sentence." Leah said dryly while raising her eyebrows and turning onto Tess's street. Sophie snickered instead of answering and Tess sat up straighter in the back seat. "It's the one on the left, I know," Leah said before Tess could say it.

"It's not like you've moved since she picked you up this morning." Sophie said to her cousin with a wink.

Tess, crossing her arms, flicked her hair out of her eyes. "I don't know how much you two retain when I speak." The other two girls smiled wickedly, making Tess frown a bit and raise one eyebrow at them.

"Like when you talk about your aunt," Leah started.

"Oh, the one that lives in Georgia?" Sophie asked in a bemused way.

"Ha-ha!" Tess said with a forced smile. "That was a fake laugh, by the way." She clarified and as Leah finally turned down a palm tree-lined drive, on the left, Tess unbuckled her seatbelt.

After pulling up to the door of a whitewashed, three story mansion, Leah parked the car in the circular driveway and popped off her seatbelt. "Can we please go inside? I'm freaking starved." She patted her stomach through her yellow shirt and then opened her door, pulling the seat back for Tess to climb over. As Sophie refixed her bangs in the side mirror, the other two grabbed their books from the trunk and met her at the door.

"Mom! I'm home," Tess yelled as they opened the front door and slipped their shoes off. The pristine white of the walls gleamed in the late-afternoon sun and Tess rolled her eyes as the silence bounced off the walls of the foyer. "I guess she's not home yet." She mumbled the sadness of her tone hidden as she lowered her blue eyes. Sophie and Leah exchanged a glance before following their brunette friend into the iron chef kitchen.

Leah went to the walk-in pantry before grabbing a box of Oreos while Sophie got out the milk and three tumbler glasses. While Tess looked out the window towards the pool, deck, and spacious back yard, the two girls exchanged a silent conversation. "You do it," Leah whispered towards the younger girl, making sure to keep her voice barely above hearing level.

"You're the oldest," Sophie said back just as quietly, but almost more vehemently. She continued to pour the milk into the glasses, almost overflowing the first as the girls faced down in a stare off.

"Do it."

"You do it!"

"You--"

"I can hear you two." Tess said as she turned around and leaned against the marble countertop with a slight smirk on her face. They smiled sheepishly, Leah biting her lip as she ripped off three napkins. "Better just bring the whole box," Pointing to the Oreos with her chin, Tess smiled as she hitched her thumb back towards the back yard. "Why don't we skip homework until later and just hang out by the pool for awhile?"

The other two girls nodded, and then set their snack aside as they went to change into their swimsuits. Once out by the pool, Tess set the cookies in the sun for them to melt slightly and joined Leah in jumping into the blue water. With a shriek, Leah jumped off the diving board, kicking her legs out in a set of splits before hitting the water. Tess followed with a much more graceful dive while Sophie sat in the sun, leaning her head back and raising her chin towards the blazing sun.

After reemerging from the watery depths, Tess and Leah raced over to the pool's side and crossed their arms over the ledge as they stared at Sophie. Finally noticing her friends, she tilted her sunglasses down to look at them. "Leah, I enjoy the grudge."

Rolling her mascara smeared eyes, Leah sunk back under the water to emerge moments later with the black smears under her eyes gone. "Why does that always seem to happen to me?" She asked with a groan as she rubbed the black make-up off her fingertips.

"Probably because you refuse to use waterproof mascara like normal Californian girls." Tess said in a scholarly voice and then shrieked as Leah splashed her as she lifted herself out of the pool. Sitting down cross-legged on her lounge chair, she dried her hands out and shoved a whole Oreo in her mouth, which bulged from the cookie.

"Attractive." Sophie said, and then leaned back in her chair once more. "So, we haven't really talked about it all day, but what do you think about the new kids?" She brought up casually as if she was asking about what homework they had. The girls knew her too well, however, and didn't miss the curiosity that tinged her voice.

"Well, I made a complete idiot of myself when we first met them." Tess said as she pulled herself out of the pool and then lay on the warm pool deck. "Other than that, who knew they could be such an asset to the choir?"

"It's not like they were all that bad either though," Leah said after she swallowed a gulp of her milk. "I had Art History with Logan and he seemed like a really genuine guy." She thought back on how he had even held her chair out for her. Smiling slightly, she turned back to her friends with a slight blush on her face.

Sophie looked at her with a raised eyebrow as Tess whistled. "Does Driving Ms. Daisy have a little crush on the boy genius?" Tess asked making a slight play on Leah's cautious driving skill.

"First of all, I was only Driving Ms. Daisy for the first few weeks after I got my car. You would have been too if you had a new car. Secondly, I don't have a crush on him. He was just nice to me that's all. Besides, did you see Sophie with James?" Leah retorted, taking the attention off her and focusing it on Sophie as was her talent.

Sophie whipped off her sunglasses, her green eyes flashing playfully. "He definitely isn't lacking in the looks department." Was all she said as the other girls laughed at her casual tone. "The helmet boy is cute too though," She let her mind wander back to Carlos, who had pulled out a sports helmet during Psychology saying he didn't want anyone looking into his subconscious. Sophie had laughed while his friends had just gone along with it. As it was a performance arts school, the teacher had also let him express himself as he saw fit.

"Carlos is really sweet." Leah backed her up in her analysis. "I barely have any classes with any of them, though. So it looks like you two are the ones that are going to be showing them around tomorrow morning." Leah said. Because she was more interested in the historical studies than the sciences, she had only three classes with the girls and what looked to be about two with the boys.

"Well, I have all my classes with Kendall," Tess said, speaking up about the tall blonde she hadn't been able to stop thinking about. Why had she gotten so defensive when he spoke to her? Sure, she was like that with almost everyone, excluding Leah and Sophie, but her guard had gone off when she saw the boy staring at her today.

"He's definitely the hardest to read," Sophie mused. Leah nodded her head, and the girls paused for a moment to think about the enigma that was Kendall Knight. "But obviously the leader of the pack as well."

Twisting a cookie between her hands, Leah scraped off the icing and thought for a moment before speaking. "Something's not quite clicking with them being here though. It's the beginning of March and the middle of the semester. What could be so important for them to join school right now?"

"Maybe they just moved?" Sophie threw out, sitting up in her chair and getting more engrossed in the conversation.

"No way. James was way too tan to have just moved to California, unless they moved from Florida or something. And Logan said something about the pool as they left today." Tess added while moving to sit between Sophie and Leah's chairs. "Maybe they got kicked out of their other school?"

"Perfect records, isn't that what Mr. Johnson mentioned?" Leah said while uncrossing her legs and laying on her stomach to face her friends. "They aren't famous are they?" She questioned, searching back in her archives to think if she had seen any of their names or faces in the news or tabloids. James was definitely handsome enough to be a model, but she couldn't recall his name or any of the others.

Tess snapped her fingers, causing the other two to jump slightly in the air. "I know! They're aliens from outer space sent to make our lives a living hell by stealing our choir away and making us fall in love." Laughing hysterically, she made a running leap for the pool splashing the other girls with copious amounts of water.

"I didn't want to get my hair wet!" Sophie yelled as she clutched the end of her now damp braid. Letting out a huff she ran in after her cousin. Leah rolled her eyes before putting her sunglasses on her chair, taking a bite of another Oreo, and then doing a cannon ball in the middle of her splash-fighting friends.

Ten minutes away from Tess's house, Kendall Knight, James Diamond, Carlos Garcia, and Logan Mitchell sat in the heart of Los Angeles while they received a glare from behind blue lenses. Gustavo Rocque narrowed his eyes while his assistant stood behind him and clutched a clipboard to her chest. Looking at Gustavo with skepticism written all over his face, Kendall raised an eyebrow at his boss.

"Let me get this straight; you dogs sang in a school choir today and therefore you think you should be able to stay at this school." The question was rhetorical, but Kendall decided to point out the facts again.

"We'll fit in more at that school than we would at the Palm Woods and you know it." The raised eyebrow found its match as Gustavo narrowed his eyes. "At Hart we'll get the same education with people our own age, which means you'll hear less complaining about us not learning at a pace we should be learning at. And you know how happy that would make my mother."

"As the boys are underage, we need that permission." Kelly said to her boss, shrugging her shoulders and knowing that Kendall had Gustavo trapped. While the music producer looked down at Big Time Rush, the band that would put him on top again, he frowned. It was the closest emotion they would ever see to happiness on the man's face, and James turned on his megawatt smile while Logan watched hopefully and Carlos strapped and unstrapped his helmet.

"Fine; but we're going to have to work even harder for the time we'll lose when you can't be here by noon." He said while sighing as the boys celebrated. It irritated him when he had to compromise, but he would allow it this one time. "Now, Mr. X needs you in studio A. GO!"

As the boys grabbed their bags, Carlos started to hum the song they had heard earlier in the day as they watched the three girls mess around in the choir room. "Those girls were really good." He commented as the boys changed from their school clothes to their workout things.

"They weren't bad looking either," James said as he mused on the three cousins that were to show them around the school until they found their way. And until he understood each girl and how they ticked, he was going to need a lot of showing around.

"Looks aren't everything, James," Logan said from behind the material of the t-shirt he was pulling over his head. When he was finally freed, he looked at his taller companion. "All I'm saying is that they could be really nice girls and you're judging them by their looks."

"No, I'm not!" James retaliated as he fired a towel at Logan. "What I'm saying is that while they are very attractive, friendly and open is not a word I would use to describe them."

Kendall stopped lacing his shoes for a moment to look up at the boys. "Tess definitely isn't forgiving. She thought I was checking her out earlier and then made me carry her bag because I embarrassed her. How much of an idiot did I look like walking through the halls like her lackey?" He rolled his eyes at himself and then sat on the bench.

"You may have looked like a lackey, but what about James looking like he was going to attack Leah? What'd she do to freak you out?" Carlos asked James, who looked away from tying a blue bandana around his head. He raised a questioning eyebrow at his friends.

"You're right, Carlos. Why did you suddenly become so interested in Leah?" Logan asked as he joined Kendall on the bench. While all three boys looked up at James, who was studiously ignoring them, Kelly knocked on the door to the room before poking her head in.

"Could you please hurry? Gustavo is getting ready to cause another earthquake if you boys don't start practicing. Now." She stressed the last word before leaving the boys to follow her, which they did without further ado.

As they were walking back towards Studio A, James answered his friend's question. "I'm just trying to figure out why she looked so scared of us." In his mind, he thought back to the tall blonde, who kept her curly bangs in her eyes and her gray eyes tilted away. It was coy and made him curious. And he was bound to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

Thanks again for reading! And if you have any questions, comments, etc. just let me know and I'll take them all into consideration. Happy Valentine's Day by the way. And character profiles are on my profiles for anyone who cares to have a look at each girl by herself.

Peace!


	3. Lie to Me

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Big Time Rush and what a depressing statement that is.

Author's Note: So, wow! This chapter has been written for about a month. I didn't want to update until I had the next chapter written though, which it is now. Anyways, just want to give a shout out to AmuletGirl5 who is not only the one who busts my ass when I don't update, but she also helps me edit these things so they aren't completely unreadable. Also, a nice little thank you goes out to GilbertDrone328 and SeeksDreamsAndFindHope for reviewing! You people rock my socks.

Next chapter should be out soon as well. Hope everyone is doing lovely and Happy Spring!

* * *

Chapter 3:

"_Lie to Me"_

Tess sat in her hard wooden desk, drawing small hearts on her paper for English Lit. As her wooden speaking professor droned on, she leaned her hand in her chin and continued to doodle. Without paying attention to what was going on, Tess looked around the room for the missing person she hadn't seen all day. Kendall Knight hadn't been at school today, and come to think of it, neither had the rest of the boys. After they had pulled into the parking lot this morning, Leah half-asleep and almost drilling the car in front of them, she had gone to her locker and tried to focus on what she would need for the day.

She hadn't slept well that night, a result of her mother and father not getting home until past midnight, and she was in a cranky mood. It didn't take her long to sit herself in her seat in her first period class and notice that she hadn't seen her shadow at all yet. Not wanting his being lost on his way to the class on her conscious, she told her teacher she'd be back and set out to find Kendall.

On her way, she saw Leah's tall profile through the hall and ran to catch up with her. "I'm not sure where any of them are. I have this period with James and I haven't seen him all day. I have to go though or I'm going to be super late. I'll text you if I see them," She yelled over her shoulder as she made her way to her first period.

After having no luck, Tess went back to class, not really too worried about the boys. They'd find their way eventually and if it came down to it hopefully, Johnson would just assign them a new shadower. It's not like she needed the trouble of watching over someone.

This was the mindset she had before she realized the boys weren't at school at all. While she had no reason to, she was starting to get a little pissed off. Where had they disappeared? It was their first full day of school and already they were gone. And how could that just be okay with the administration?

She broke from her musings when Sophie knocked her on the head with her notebook. Immediately, Tess reached up to fix her askew ponytail. Raising an eyebrow at her cousin, she noticed that people were beginning to leave the classroom. "Come on, broody. We're supposed to meet Leah at the car."

The two girls made their way down the hallway, Sophie talking about some kind of cute shoes she had found online last night and what a deal they were. When they finally reached the door to the choir room where they usually met after school, Leah was waiting for them talking a mile a minute on her cell phone while tapping her flip-flop clad foot.

"I don't care what you say it _means_, Zack. Finding your name spelled out in Spaghetti O's of all places is not a sign." She rolled her eyes while her friends came up and they started back to her car. "No it's not a divine intervention, but if it was it would be telling you to get off your lazy ass and go back to Berkley because your spring break is over."

As her brother responded back over the little ear piece, Leah held the phone away from her face and then looked to her friends, motioning for them to walk ahead of her as she searched for her keys. Tess watched as Sophie dug out her own phone and started to text at lightening speed. With nothing else to do, Tess listened in on the rest of Leah's conversation with her brother.

"_You need to do this for me, Lee. I can't leave the apartment now and dad really needs those papers for the renovation. Come on, sis, you know I'll make it up to you_." As Tess listened to her older cousin's squeaky voice over the speaker of the cell phone, she too rolled her eyes.

Looking behind her, she saw Leah sigh and then give in to her brother's requests. "Fine. The Palm Woods by four-thirty, right?"

"_You're the shit, Lee. I'll leave the papers with Wendell at the front desk."_

Hanging up, Leah produced her keys from her oversized tote bag and then pushed the doors open to the school, blending in with the rest of the students hanging around and waiting for rides. Tess watched her oldest cousin stomp to her car while she and Sophie hung back. "What's the deal with that?" Sophie asked nodding to Leah with her chin as she looked up from her intense texting.

Tess shrugged and then swung her leather satchel onto her shoulder before gripping her few books tighter. "Hey, Sophie," She said after her dark haired companion looked back down to her phone. "Shotgun!" Tess yelled while sprinting to the car, her jean-clad legs carrying her faster than her cousin to the car.

"Watch the leather!" Leah screeched as Tess jumped the door and landed on the floorboard, banging her knee on the glove box as she did so. With a triumphant smile on her face, she looked back to where Sophie was leisurely making her way to the car, stopping traffic as she did so. Her dark hair was pulled off her face with a simple ponytail and she waved to a few senior boys as they honked and drove by.

"Are you done flirting yet? We have things we need to do," Tess called over the open window and hood and Sophie raised an eyebrow before climbing daintily into the car so her short skirt wouldn't flash all the lingerers. "Who are you so deeply into texting, Soph?"

With a slight laugh, Sophie buckled up as Leah drove out of the parking lot and onto the street that was so familiar to them. "James and I may have exchanged numbers yesterday before school let out." After her simple statement of fact, Tess made a wolf whistle while Sophie rolled her eyes. "He was actually just telling me why they weren't at school; and asking about Blondie up there."

Leah took her eyes off the road for just a second before merging onto the highway with total nonchalance. "That's nice," She said. Tess and Sophie exchanged a glance with each other before Tess turned the music off and rolled up the windows so that while the hood was still down, the airflow wasn't as loud.

"What's up, Leah. You've been acting screwy all day." It took a few minutes before Leah responded, and it was only after the cruise control was set and they were securely on the highway towards Los Angeles.

"There's something going on at home and Zack knows but he's not telling me. I can't figure out what it is. On top of all that, he's not going back to Berkley yet and he'll lose his spot in the Fraternity if he doesn't get a move on." She rattled off while sliding on a pair of sunglasses as her eyes teared up.

From her seat in the back, Sophie put her phone down halfway through typing and put her hand on her cousin's shoulder. "Lee, you know we're always here for you if you need us. Even though my house is a mad house most of the time, you can stay with me if you start to get really bothered by this."

"And it's not like I don't have the extra room," Tess said while putting her hand on Leah's arm. Nodding her head, Leah let out a shaky laugh and then wiped under her eyes. "Thanks, guys, I'll probably be taking you up on that offer."

As the girls relaxed back into their seats after the sentimental moment, Tess looked out her window as the familiar scenes of city life blew by. The palm tress that seemed to line just about everything began to blur together and she started to doze off before Leah threw the car into park in front of a large building. Opening her door and leaving the car running, Leah waved off the valet attendant and went inside the doors to the Four Seasons Hotel.

While Tess and Sophie both lived in houses in well-endowed suburbs off the beach, and in Sophie's case on the beach, Leah and her parents lived in the penthouse of the Four Seasons. While their fathers, who were all brothers, owned branches of hotels all over Los Angeles, Leah's family was the only one that opted to live in the thriving area of town.

Tess had just turned the C.D. back on in the car when Leah came out, holding a large folder and looking decidedly happier than she did when she got out of the car. "Wendell noticed my new top," She said with a smile, pointing down at the white tank top that criss-crossed in the back and was detailed at the top. It was tucked into her blue jean shorts, with a big black belt accessorizing it.

Wendell, the decidedly gay man who worked the front desk, was basically the only person at the Hotel that Leah had grown up with. The girls were also used to having him order pizza for them, or giving them tips at slumber parties, he was the one that had bought them their first R rated movie, and so many other things. Tossing the folder at Tess, Leah flipped back on her sunglasses and made her way into traffic.

"So what's at the Palm Woods that our fathers are so interested in?" Tess asked while opening the manila file folder and shifting around the contents. It looked like a lot of legal mumbo-jumbo and Tess got bored of it quickly, sending it back to Sophie who hid her wit behind her pretty face, but was really quite cunning when it came to stuff like this.

"It looks like someone wants to void their lease and renovate one of the apartments at the Palm Woods. So I guess these are just the documents that they need to approve the changes." She handed the folder back up to Tess as Leah took a right turn and came upon the strip of boardwalk and restaurants before the recording studios and mogul hotels were.

"Pull over, Leah; I want to get a deep-fried snickers." Sophie said from the back seat as they passed Mammy's, the diner where you could get anything deep-fried and sugary. Looking down at the clock, Leah tried to gage their time. Tess and Sophie were both unbuckling already, however, so she decided it would be okay if they were a little late to the Palm Woods. Besides, a chocolate shake sounded awesome right now.

As the girls stood in line, Leah's phone began to ring for the second time since she had left the hotel. Looking down at it in exasperation, she ignored the phone call again. Tess looked over and opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. Leah always respected the space Tess put between them when it came to all the emotional junk so she would respect that now and let Leah come to her.

Once she had her batter fried Oreos in her hand, Tess scoped out a spot for them to eat while checking her Guess watch that was situated on her left wrist. Noticing the time was nearing in on four-thirty, she looked back outside to see that traffic had picked up. Looking back over to her cousin, who was sipping a chocolate milkshake and gazing out the window, she went to point out the fact that there was no way they'd make it to the Palm Woods in time when Sophie let out a shriek.

Throwing her half-eaten candy bar on the cute tray it had come in, Sophie held up her phone and waved it around in front of the girls' faces. "He texted me!" She flipped the phone up and began to vigorously text back while Tess and Leah exchanged glances.

"Uhm, want to let us in on the secret?" Leah ventured while messing with her milkshake straw. Sophie let out a 'mhm' while continuing to text. After her thumbs slowed, she contemplated for a minute before pressing send and then looked up to her friends after drawing out the suspense.

Tess, who was used to her dramatic antics, went to take a bite of her Oreo when Sophie opened her mouth. "That my friends, was Jack Greene." Tess choked on her cookie, her eyes bulging with the news. Leah spit her milkshake all over the table, but wiped her mouth with the back of her hand quickly before looking at Sophie who looked like she'd just won a marathon.

"How in the hell, if you don't mind me asking, did you get Jack Greene to talk to you? He only dates seniors, and even then only if they're modeling or making it big." Tess questioned, not meaning to sound harsh but overwhelmed as she was she couldn't keep the jealously out of her voice.

Jack Greene was the type of senior that made your heart skip beats, your palms sweat, and your brain turn to mush. He was a mix of James Franco and Zack Efron, rolled into a steamy, Australian accented man. He turned girls to puddles of goo and left a path of broken hearts wherever he went but he was the hottest thing around since plastic surgery.

Sophie shrugged her shoulder as another text came through, diving for the phone and reading it quickly before her lightening fast fingers went back to work.

"It's just a talent I have, I guess. Do you have any idea how _long_ it's taken me to get him to notice me at school? I knew this outfit was going to be lucky." Tess looked at her cousin's outfit, consisting of a blue and white checked skirt that she'd had forever, plus a button-down white shirt that she had left unbuttoned to show an embellished tank top, and a pair of sandals. Al l in all, it was an outfit she had probably owned for three years, but she did look cute so Tess just smiled.

"You've been after him since last summer." Leah stated while placing her phone on the table where it continued to vibrate as it lit up with an incoming call. "So what now, oh great one; are you going to be adding the great Jack Greene to your wall of conquests?"

Looking up, Sophie took the last bite of her snickers bar and then pocketed her phone. "Actually, right now we're going to hustle our asses to the Palm Woods seeing as it is 5 o'clock and we should have been there at four thirty."

Glancing at her missed call list, Tess realized that her phone, which had been on silent this whole time, was showing four missed calls from her Uncle. As the girls gathered their things with unearthly speed, they hurried out to where Leah's car was parked. Pulling into the traffic and praying to any higher being that her car wouldn't be totaled, Leah drove like a bat-out-of-hell to the circular drive of the Palm Woods. Diving out of the car, she tossed her keys to the valet and then ran into the hotel after her friends.

Tess ran through the doors of the hotel for the Upcoming Rich and Famous, not giving a crap if she looked like an idiot or not. She probably should have cared more though as she collided head first into someone that was walking through the lobby right in front of her. As legal documents went everywhere, she let out a groan as her ass hit the floor with a resounding thud.

"I am so sorry!" Her assailant said and her head whipped up violently when she recognized the voice. "Tess?" The boy asked and Tess took his proffered hand as she stood up to be face to chest with Kendall Knight. She opened her mouth to say something but the only thing she could comprehend was how good he smelled. It was a mix of the salty ocean and fresh clothes and she found herself leaning closer to his body.

Snapping out of it, she pulled back from the teenager and then looked up into his face. His hair was falling into his blue eyes and the concerned look on his face was slipping into one of worry when he saw Leah and Sophie come running in behind Tess. As she was opening her mouth to say something, Tess was stopped while Leah let out a groan.

"Please tell me those aren't the lease papers and that I'm not going to have to gather them all up and sort them." Leah said in a desperate voice. Tess looked around at the scattered papers, smiling apologetically while Kendall bent down to help pick up the mess. "We're screwed; I'm screwed. I have to find this Bitters character, then sort these papers out, and I wanted to make a point but now karma's coming back to bite me right in the,"

"Hey, guys!" Tess turned around as Leah's rambling was cut off to see Logan, James, and a little girl coming around the corner to the lobby. She waved slightly while Kendall stood up fully and handed the papers back to a harried Leah.

"Party at the Palm Woods, huh?" James said as he came to stand next to Sophie who was looking at all of the boys with a calculating twinkle in her emerald eyes. As Tess looked around, she too started to think of why the boys would be at the hotel unless they were in Los Angeles to make it big.

For the second time, however, she was cut off as Leah had a brilliant idea. "Logan, you're like a super genius right?" The boy in question blushed a bit and began to stutter, but Leah was having none of it as she thrust the legal documents at him. Her shyness was overcome at that moment by the need to get the job done and she began to talk quickly. "I need you to look through these and put them in the correct order. And on second thought, why are you guys here?"

James opened his mouth while Kendall cut over him, "Well, you know, we're staying at the Palm Woods right now." Tess studied the tall boy with a raised eyebrow and saw when his eyes lit up and he pulled the little girl, whom at this point was still silent, over to his side. "My sister, Katie, is trying to make it into acting so we moved out here with her."

"This doesn't exactly explain why the rest of you are here. You're not brothers so why are James, Logan, and Carlos here with you?" Tess asked while standing back and surveying the boys. Logan was being harassed by Leah, but was working quickly through the papers, putting them in order with a practiced ease. James was standing next to Kendall, his arms crossed as he studied the girls with an unnerving smile. As she looked back to Kendall, who was looking back and forth between Sophie and herself, Tess averted her gaze from his muscled arms.

She was really going to have to control herself if she was going to interrogate these boys. Katie ended up answering her question. "My mom's really sick so they came to help take me to auditions and help out." Sophie let out an 'aw' while kneeling down and looking at Katie, her phone forgotten in her pocket.

"That's so nice of them. I'm Sophie Monroe, by the way," She said while sticking her hand out to Kendall's sister. Katie smiled up at Sophie sweetly and shook her hand. Tess looked back up to Kendall and James, who seemed to be communicating the way best friends do, through looks, and crossed her arms.

"So you guys are in L.A. to help your sister. Why weren't you at school today?" She didn't get an answer, however, as Logan had just finished putting the papers back together and Leah snatched them away.

"Someone take me to Bitters," She said holding the papers up triumphantly. When she noticed that most of the attention was on her, she lowered her arm and held the papers tightly. Then she blushed scarlet and bit her lip. "Please?"

Taking pity on her, James moved into action, guiding Leah by the arm out a set of doors to what looked like a pool area. Logan raised an eyebrow as the couple went out of sight and then looked back at Tess and Sophie. "You're just going to leave her with James?" He asked with a bit of astonishment in his voice and Sophie snapped out of whatever spell she was in and followed after Leah. Logan rolled his eyes and followed along, leaving Tess and Kendall alone together.

Kendall Knight didn't get nervous around girls, but as he looked down at the female figure in front of him, his brain started to race. Why was he lying about why he was in Hollywood? So what if he was in a band, or if the band was a pop boy band? He didn't have to be ashamed of that. Something about the way Tess was watching him with a raised eyebrow, her arms crossed over her chest, made him feel like she would just write him off as another money hungry musician.

Putting his hand up to rub the back of his neck, he suddenly became very aware that they were alone. James had escorted Leah away towards Bitters' poolside office; while Logan went to make sure he didn't put the moves on the unsuspecting blonde, as was his way. Sophie had trailed after her friends, her attention more on the phone in her hand than anything. Katie had split after playing her part. They were alone in the lobby together.

Well, technically not alone seeing as there were people hanging around the lobby. Nevertheless, alone to the point where it was just the two of them in the Welcoming Area.

"So," Kendall started and Tess looked up at him with those piercing blue eyes. It just wasn't fair that she could look at him like that when they had just met. "How was school today?" He asked figuring school was a safe bet since it was really the only thing they had in common.

Tess rolled her eyes, pushing herself off the front desk she had been leaning against and moving towards the pool. "It was fine, thanks for asking. Where were you guys? Skipping your first full day probably isn't a good idea." Kendall took a few long strides to keep pace with Tess. Her legs may have been shorter than his own, but she was booking it through the hotel.

"We had some things that we had to take care of and it took a little longer than anticipated." He replied, thinking back on the Mansion sitting they had done for Gustavo the night before. Shuddering involuntarily, he reached out and opened the double doors to the pool area so Tess could step through them. She looked shocked for a moment, but then went through the open doors as he followed her.

"Would this 'thing' have anything to do with the fact that you've got a pretty vicious scratch above your eyebrow?" She asked him in what could have been a nonchalant voice. Raising his eyebrows a bit, he felt the sting that had been left by Monty and had yet to scab over.

"It may have something to do with it." Kendall came up short, not expecting to have Tess pressed up against him suddenly as she whipped around and stood on her tiptoes to get eye level with him. She was still a bit short, but the look on her face leveled him.

"I don't care if you're not telling us the whole truth, or if you want to come into our school and be all suave and the new guys, but if any one of your 'boys' mess with my cousins, I'll personally hold you responsible." With that, she stepped back, but he could still feel the heat of her body mixing with his own as he stared at her while she walked away towards Sophie and Logan.

While his brain caught up with his hormones, he realized what she had just said. So maybe they hadn't completely bought the tall tale that the boys had fed them, but that didn't mean she had any reason to think of them as bad guys. And why was he going to have to be the one that was responsible if anything happened? He hadn't done anything but gotten off on the wrong foot with Tess Monroe since he had met her yesterday.

Scowling, he tried hard to not roll his eyes at the overly guarded girl while making his way over to the chairs where his friends were located. He reached the table about the same time that James and Leah did, and he couldn't help but smirk as Leah's face flamed bright red at whatever James had just said to her. His best friend was really getting some enjoyment about seeing how much he could make this shy girl blush.

Tess, however, didn't think it was that funny. "Everything alright, Leah?" She asked and Leah nodded while putting her chin in her hand and avoiding James's eye. This time after really rolling his eyes, Kendall sat back in his chair and decided to ask some questions.

"What brings you girls to the Palm Woods?" He questioned, getting Sophie's attention for once. She had yet to look up from her phone, which she now stowed into the pocket of her short skirt. Not being able to help his wandering his eyes, he stared a bit too long before he felt someone kick him from under the table. Looking up sharply, Kendall didn't miss the 'what the hell' look he was getting from Logan.

_Always defending someone else's honor_, Kendall thought before nodding his head at his friend and listening to Sophie explain why they were here. The sun had just started to set as the door to Bitters' office opened and a tall man stepped out before the pudgy hotel manager.

"When someone voids a lease, my dad has to come in and do damage control." Leah said while she watched her dad cross the pool deck with a stern face. Kendall looked at the similarities between Leah and her father and then realized what she had said. They had voided their lease about two months ago.

Shit.

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Uh-oh! Things are going down at the Palm Woods! Anyways, please leave me a review and let me know what you think. Also, pimp this story as much as you can and I promise that I'll start being a better author. ;) But, back to your lives, hope everyone is well and thanks for reading!

Baby Blue


	4. Poolside Romancing

Disclaimer: It really is too bad that I don't own Big Time Rush seeing as I would have so many changes to make; such as the fact that they would never wear shirts. Anyways, too bad.

Author's Note: Sorry this wasn't out earlier! I really, really do apologize. I went on vacation and then was looking at colleges and time flew by. But here it is and it's ready for your viewing pleasure! I'd like to put AmuletGirl5, GilbertDrone328, Vladdie Chica, and Tiger Shark on shout out because you guys rock my socks for reviewing every chapter. I literally love you guys! Anyways, thanks to everyone who alerted and favorited as well. Enjoy!

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Chapter 4:

"_Poolside Romancing"_

Sophie awoke early on Saturday morning to an eerily quite room. She stretched languidly and stared up at the vaulted ceiling of the guest room she occupied when over at Tess's house. As she closed her eyes to get a few more minutes of sleep, a slight breeze came rolling in from the open doors to the balcony that would lead out over the backyard. There were slight murmurings coming from the open doors and kicking back the covers on her bed, she lifted herself up on her elbows to hear better.

From what she could hear, the voices belonged to her cousins and she rolled her eyes. Apparently no one knew how to sleep past noon over at the Monroe's. Slowly getting up from her bed, Sophie checked her reflection in the full-length mirror that adorned the wall near the dresser. Pulling her wavy hair off of her face and knotting it in a bun, she pushed her bangs off her face with a spare bobby pin that lay on the dresser. After yanking on her pink and green polka-dot pajama shorts, she pulled the sleeves back over her hands of the oversized gray t-shirt she was wearing.

Her bare feet made little noise as she made her way down the large staircase to the bottom floor of the house and as she whipped around the corner, she got a whiff of chocolate chip pancakes that were the only things Leah knew how to cook. Making a bee-line for the open back doors, she announced her presence with a wolf-whistle as Tess took a particularly large bite.

"That is so sexy," Sophie said as she sat down in her spot at the outside table. Tess rolled her eyes and continued to eat while Leah cut her pancakes up and tapped the screen of her cell phone every few seconds. Loading up on pancakes and drenching them in a maple syrup tidal wave, Sophie poured herself a glass of milk at the same time. "Seriously though, what's up with waking up at the crack of dawn? And why is it so hot today?"

"Oh, would you like me to leave?" Leah asked not being able to resist the corny joke. Tess laughed out loud as she was taking a drink of orange juice, spitting the aforementioned drink out. "That, once again, was just disgusting." As Tess wiped her mouth off, she opened it again to retaliate but Leah was already out of the chair and walking away with the phone to her ear as it buzzed loudly.

"Yeah, well, you're the one making the fifth grade jokes!" She shouted after her anyways, and Leah didn't even look over her shoulder as she flipped her middle-finger at her cousin. Rolling her eyes, Sophie took a closer look at her brunette cousin. Tess's aqua eyes looked happy today, rather than dark and depressed like they normally were on the weekend when she was alone because her parents hadn't bothered to call. The aqua tank top she had on matched the purple pajama pants she was wearing and she was actually eating today.

"The comeback is rarely affective when the person isn't around, Tessie." Sophie said and it was Tess's turn to roll her eyes. "Anyways, no one answered my question."

Swallowing, Tess put her fork down and cradled her mug of hot chocolate that she had poured after finishing her orange juice. "One; it's not that early. It was like ten o'clock when I woke up and Leah was still asleep. Two; right now the clock reads eleven forty-five so I'm sorry if you're just a lazy bum." With a sarcastic smile, Sophie tossed an apple at Tess, who caught it with ease. "And three; if you weren't wearing a long-sleeve shirt you would find that it is quite pleasant outside."

"Alright, fair enough. But follow up questions," Pointing over her shoulder, Sophie motioned to Leah who was angrily stomping around on the diving board of the pool talking on the phone. She would dangle precariously close to the tip of the board and then, keeping her balance, would walk back again. If she hadn't looked so mad, Sophie would have pushed her in just for having that much balance when she could barely walk a straight line. "Who is she talking to?"

"Do you remember how last night her phone started going off really late?" Sophie nodded her head; she distinctly remembered the loud blaring of _You Don't Love Me_ by the Kooks from the room next to her own. "Well, it was Zack and he needed something but wouldn't tell her until she agreed. So, he took her car."

"She's pissed, right?" Sophie asked knowing immediately how anal Leah was about her 'baby.' While she couldn't really vouch and say it was that big of a deal to her, she knew how crappy it could be to not have a mode of transportation.

As Leah smacked her phone down in anger and jumped from the diving board to the concrete, Tess looked at her green eyed counterpart. "What do you think?" As the curly-haired blonde walked closer, she narrowed her gray eyes and threw her cell phone onto the table. "Leah; did Zack say if the car was going to come back in one piece?"

Picking up her fork and stabbing a few pieces of pancake, Leah waved the aforementioned fork around for emphasis as she answered. "He said, and I quote, 'It's not that big of a deal, Lee.'" She mocked her brother's rough voice as she ate and then chewed contemplatively. "And then when I asked him when he was going to be home so I could get my car back, he said that it was no longer in his possession."

"So where exactly is it if Zack doesn't have it? He knows where it's at right?" Sophie asked quickly, her eyes bugging out as Leah blushed in anger. Pushing her bangs off her face, Leah crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair.

"Basically if I want my car I have to travel to the outskirts of Las freaking Vegas and get it from whatever rave Zack and his friends went to last night." Angrily standing up again, she picked up her phone and began to vigorously dial in a number. "So now I'm calling my father to straighten this shit out."

While Leah walked back inside the house, her phone pushed to her ear and her hands carrying her dishes back to the kitchen, Sophie and Tess exchanged a look. "She just cursed while talking about her brother. Does this ever happen or should we be honored that we were in her presence at the moment?" Tess asked while also grabbing her dishes and standing from the table. She also grabbed the pitcher of milk and balanced it while walking inside precariously. Sophie gathered up the juice and her plates while following Tess.

"I think if we just take this in stride everything will be okay. I'm starting to get a little concerned though; Zack was supposed to be back at Berkley by now and he's off raving in Vegas instead? Something doesn't seem right here." Her mind began to calculate how much school her one and only male cousin had missed and the numbers weren't looking good.

"Maybe he just wanted to check out the university out there?" Tess said in a questioning voice, trying to look on the bright side of things. Her easy going Saturday was starting to go down hill when all she really wanted to do was lounge around by the pool and possibly roam the town tonight. Instead, it looked like they were either going to take the three-hour ride out to Vegas or be stuck with a mopey Leah for the rest of the day.

Sophie, however, had a planning look in her eye as her mind began to race. Once up and going, she didn't want to just sit around and waste a day doing nothing. If it would help Leah, then she was all for going to Vegas to round up the car. They could go out and party later that night, maybe spend the night at a hotel, and if all went as planned she could stay away from her over-crowded, mad house for the entire weekend.

While both girls were lost in their thoughts, Leah stomped back into the room interrupting the dish washing and clean-up. Managing a smile, she crossed her arms over her San Francisco Forty-Niners t-shirt. "How do you guys feel about spending a nice relaxing day at the Palm Woods?"

Returning her smile, Sophie nodded her head in ascension. "That sounds like an excellent plan. Besides, I'd much rather spend the day with the future famous and our new friends then stay here and be bored." Putting the final dish in the washer, she kicked the door shut banging her foot off the side of the island in the process. Moaning in pain, she was bypassed by Tess who looked less than enthused.

"Not that I don't want to spend the day with you all, but why can't we just stay here? I'd really rather prefer this than spending the day with Kendall and the rest of the boys from Minnesota." Tess mentioned trying her hardest to not look extremely disappointed. If she knew how this was going to end, she still pleaded her case with the very stubborn blonde in front of her.

"Tess, my father is going to lend his car to us if we need it. Plus, this gives us a chance to still be as boring as it would be anyways, but we will also have a car to go out with later tonight." Leah reasoned, making her eyes wide so Tess would have no chance but to give in. She knew it was coming when in three seconds, a new record time, Tess nodded her head and sighed as she leaned her elbows against the island.

"Yes!" Sophie whooped from the middle of her two cousins. "Let's go get ready and we'll have a cab called in no time." As the girls parted ways, Leah to the room down the hall from Sophie and Tess', Tess to the main bedroom off the grand staircase, and Sophie between the two, Tess worked on calling a cab from the house phone that was rarely ever used.

Opening the door to her room, Sophie stepped inside the spacious interior before walking over to the dresser where she kept some clothes. It was the same at Leah's house as well. Each of the girl's basically had their own drawers and closets at the other's house, never knowing when they would need something or be staying over. Pulling out a black and white striped bathing suit, she slipped it on and then pulled a navy cover-up on over it.

After brushing her teeth, combing her hair and pinning it back with a clip, she was ready to go while she slipped on her black sandals. Grabbing her necessary items, which for her included chapstick, sunscreen, her phone, and a well-worn copy of the latest _Cosmopolitan_ magazine, she was ready to go. "I'm ready!" She called out as she exited her room so that her slow poke friends would get a move on. When it came to getting up, she was always last. When it came to get ready and looking put-together in a short time, she was the master.

Leah exited her room first, her curly hair pushed into a pony tail holder but falling out all over the place as she tugged her white tank-top on over her purple bikini. Her flip-flops thwacked on the hardwood floors as she came down the hall, her pool bag slipping down her shoulder while she tried to refix her hair. Deeming it a lost cause, she let the shorter layers fall where they may and stopped next to Sophie while they waited for Tess.

A short honk from downstairs signaled that the cab that would take them to the Palm Woods had arrived and it was only after banging on the door for five minutes that Tess came out, hair down and blowing wildly as she drug a brush through it. Her huge sunglasses covered her intense blue eyes and her yellow striped cover-up set her tan off as she hurried out of the room with just her keys and cell phone. Like always, she would just use whatever the girls had brought instead of worrying about it.

The girls ran out of the front door with Tess only pausing to set the alarm and lock the doors, before they hurried to the cab. After giving the man directions, they settled back and watched the traffic go by. When they passed by Rocque Records, Leah dug out her cell phone and dialed her father's number for the second time that day. Leah planned to meet her father in the lobby when they arrived, where they would get the keys to his Range Rover and then spend the rest of the day doing whatever.

As the cab pulled into the circular drive of the Palm Woods, Sophie pulled out the correct change on the meter and tipped the driver. She messed with her bangs before stepping out of the cab and into the Los Angeles heat. It was only March, but the heat wave was wreaking havoc on the town. The girls followed her into the hotel spotting Leah's extremely tall dad, Sophie and Tess's uncle, and walking towards him.

He broke his conversation with someone wearing a nice suit and smiled at his daughter and nieces. "Look who decided to grace us with their presence this morning," He mused while opening his arms for Leah to give him a hug. She did so gladly, and Sophie saw her uncle give Leah an extra squeeze. Out of her cousin's family, Leah was definitely the closest to her father. It seemed like it was always Uncle Jack and Leah, while Aunt Ann and Zack always sided together. "Sophie, nice to see that you could get out of bed before lunch."

"Well, you know me, I aim to please," Sophie said sarcastically but with a smile. While Leah and Tess talked to Jack about the keys and how to treat a Range Rover (which was greeted with much groaning), Sophie perused the lobby again. She had only been to the Palm Woods twice her entire life. It wasn't like she was disinterested in the going-ons of the people in the town; she enjoyed her celebrity gossip as much as the next person. She was, however, more interested in the people who were actually famous and not those who were just trying to make it 'big time.'

Spotting a small brunette girl, she recognized Katie Knight who was walking out towards the pool with an older, thin woman who looked eerily like her. _Must be her mom_, Sophie thought while continuing to muse. Waving slightly, she watched the younger girl go and then began to think about Katie's brother and his band of friends. There was something off about the whole reason the boys were here in the first place. Wouldn't it have been easier if they had just stayed somewhere more low key?

She definitely wasn't saying that there was anything wrong with trying to be famous. If she had the chance to be a star she probably would have taken it. But there was something that irked her about people who wanted to be famous and changed who they were. Were the boys lying because they were afraid to let the girls know in case they changed in personality so much that they were unrecognizable to themselves?

_Too much seriousness for one day_, she thought again. _Leave the brooding to Leah_.

Speaking of her cousin, they were no longer in front of her but at the front desk harassing the man that Logan had called 'bitter' the last time they were here. Rolling her eyes, Sophie made her way over to see what was going on.

"We were just wondering if you could tell us what room Kendall Knight is staying in, it's really not as if we're asking for an arm and a leg here," Leah's voice was exasperated as she gestured around the lobby.

"Not that you couldn't afford to lose one," Tess muttered under her breath while the manager crossed his meaty arms. Leah swiftly elbowed her younger cousin in the ribs, and then smiled politely at the man. Looking at his name tag, Sophie almost slapped her forehead when she read his name. So it really was Bitters. It was funny how well the name fit the personality because from what she could tell he really hated his job.

Sighing, Bitters fiddled around on his computer for approximately five seconds before fixing the girls with a stern look. "As I said before, I am not at liberty to say where the hockey heads are staying. Palm Wood's policy." With a false smile, he walked away from behind the desk and back into his office. The door slammed shut and Leah spluttered after the man while pushing her hair from her eyes.

"This is completely ridiculous," She spouted turning quickly on the spot to glare around at the lobby. Tess sighed and leant against the desk, looking for the entire world like she would have rather stayed home. Realizing she was going to have to make the day better, Sophie put on a fake smile and linked her arms between the two sullen girls.

"Then let's make the best of a bad situation and head out to the pool. At least this way we can work on our tans while waiting for something fun to happen." She began to haul the girls out while Tess continued to mumble.

"Or we could go back to my house and do the same thing. We won't have to deal with as many people as we would here and for once I could most definitely catch up on my sleep." She groaned as they stopped beside a row of free lounge chairs. Sophie rolled her eyes and pushed her friend into the cushioned chair while taking a seat next to her. Sliding her cover-up over her head, she took her sunscreen from her bag and began to rub the lotion into her arms.

Sliding her sunglasses up her nose, Leah pulled her grey terrycloth shorts off and folded them into her bag. After getting her own sunscreen out, she directed her voice towards Tess who was sitting unmoving in her chair. "You're just afraid to see Kendall because you know you won't be able to not stare at his godlike physique." The blonde smirked as she removed her tank top and then settled into her chair.

It was Tess's turn to roll her eyes as she caught the bottle of lotion from Sophie and squirted some into her hand. Without rubbing it in, the brunette streaked her nose and shoulders with the white lotion. "That is a gross assumption seeing as we have yet to see any of the guys with their shirts off. I'd be much obliged if you would not make an ass out of you and me."

"Oh, I think you do that well enough yourself," Leah shot back gesturing to Tess's bleached nose and shoulders. Huffing, the brunette began to rub in the lotion.

"I was letting it sink in," She defended.

"Alright; let's all take a deep breath and count to three." Sophie said in her mothering voice. The two bickering cousin's settled down as their wickedly smart and impossibly clumsy cousin stepped into the metaphorical ring. It would be virtually impossible to best Sophie in a game of wit and they knew it from many errors in judgment. "Now, can we all just get along so we can make the most of the day? Won't it just be better if we stay here and can possibly hear tell of a party?"

"I'll do it for the parties." Tess said gravely. Leah then laughed and tossed a forgotten pony tail holder at her cousin. "And Leah, I definitely won that smack down."

"I'll allow it," the blonde said while once again sitting back on her lounge chair. When she was satisfied that the girls were done bickering, Sophie looked around the pool trying to spot anyone that looked even remotely familiar. The pool deck wasn't very crowded even though it was a Saturday and was narrowing on one o'clock. After a few minutes of perusing, she went back to staring blindly at the sky and letting her mind wander.

What seemed like an eternity later, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Realizing that she must have dozed off, she looked up into a pair of extremely dark brown eyes. Mesmerized for a moment, Sophie gazed into the deep brown depths that almost matched the color of the pupil they surrounded. "Sophie," She snapped herself out of whatever fantasy she was conjuring up and realized that the person standing in front of her was Logan Mitchell.

Willing herself to not blush, she looked around and realized that Kendall, James, Carlos, and a dark-haired girl around her age were standing in front of them. "Hey," She spluttered out and then regained her composure and sat up a little more. "We didn't expect to see you guys here." Motioning towards Tess, who was most definitely completely asleep, remnants of white sunscreen left on her nose, and Leah, who had her headphones in and blaring loudly, she smiled up at their company.

"Well, we do live here you know," Kendall told her in the smart ass voice that she had grown used to over the few days of school she had had with him. Rolling her eyes, she felt her eyes stray back towards Logan, who was now standing back with the rest of the group. Clad in blue swim trunks and a plain white t-shirt, he looked more relaxed than she had ever seen him at school. When he caught her gaze, however, he looked back at her challengingly for a second and then looked away quickly. She wasn't sure if she had imagined it or not, but there was an uneasy feeling in her stomach at the moment.

Reaching over, she flicked Leah on her shoulder and pulled her hand back in. Without opening her eyes, the blonde reached out and back handed her arm _hard._ "Completely unnecessary!" Sophie protested, forgetting about the people around her. Pulling an earphone out of her ear, Leah cracked open one eye.

"The flicking was completely unwarranted as well," She retorted. Leah closed her eyes again and went to put her headphone back in before realizing that people were surrounding them. The blonde blushed a deep cherry red and scrambled to sit up. "Uhm, hi there."

James smiled at the blushing girl and then sat on the edge of her chair, causing her to pull her legs up so they would rest underneath her. "What are you guys doing here anyways?" The tall boy asked, leaning back and letting the sun hit his face. Sophie smirked as she watched Leah bite her lip and then look away from James, who seemed to be deliberately letting his shirt ride a bit high to reveal some of his toned stomach.

As the rest of the crew pulled over chairs, Carlos quickly introduced the girl with them. "This is Camille; she's an actress here at the Palm Woods. And this is Sophie, Leah, and Tess Monroe." The girl smiled and waved before sitting down next to Carlos. At Sophie's raised eyebrow, the Latino boy blushed. "She's my girlfriend."

Laughing, Camille reached over and pecked the boy on the cheek. "He get's so shy," She said in an extremely peppy voice. Sophie was kind of blown away by how down-to-earth the so called actress was. Smiling, she decided to answer James's question because it was obvious that Leah had no intentions of speaking.

"Well, we had a mishap with Leah's car and had to come here and get her dad's car. Then we just decided to stay and hang out figuring we'd eventually find something to do."

"And did you find anything to do yet?" Camille asked from her perch next to Carlos. Sophie shrugged while looking over at Kendall who was poking Tess lightly in the arm while she slept. Every so often, she would move slightly and Kendall would smile before doing it again. Rolling her eyes, she nodded her head no in answer to Camille's question.

"You're looking at it," Leah said with a slight smile, pulling her legs into a cross-legged position. She looked over at James through her curly bangs, and then ignored him as he looked back at her.

Logan looked out towards the water of the pool and the slightly dimming sun. It would be night soon and he was pretty sure that there would be something to do around here. "We could always go to the beach and see if anyone is having a bonfire tonight?" He asked everyone. Leah and Sophie exchanged a look and then they both smiled.

"Where would this so called bonfire party entail?" Leah asked politely. At they boys' slightly bewildered look she blushed again. "It's just that whenever we do party we go to Beverly Hills or drive somewhere."

"Most times it's pretty much just whoever shows up is welcome. So it's just a bunch of teenagers sitting on the beach, surrounded by a huge bonfire, playing music and partaking in scandal and underage drinking." Kendall explained matter-of-factly. Sophie grinned a bit deviously this time.

Looking directly at Logan, she decided to test his limits because he seemed so unmoved by her charms. "And will there be shirtless boys at this party." Logan met her eye, trying not to let on how unnerved he was by her blatant challenge. It wasn't that he couldn't handle it; over the three months they had been in Los Angeles, he was getting better and better at taking risks.

"Shirtless guys and girls." He answered back with a voice that he wasn't sure was actually his. His palms started to tingle as he saw the slightly raised eyebrows of Sophie Monroe. Leah, who had caught the whole exchange and was used to her cousin's antics, nodded in his direction briefly.

"So are you guys in or what?" Kendall questioned after taking a break from harassing Tess. James leaned forward on his knees and tried a persuading look on the girls. Like always, even the too polite to be rude Leah swooned slightly.

As he continued to look at the girls, James tried to make the option all the more enticing. "If you're lucky, Logan and I will teach you how to surf." Leah laughed at this, her laugh soft, while Sophie laughed incredulously.

"You think that because we don't frequent beach bonfires that we don't know how to surf?" The boys looked at her challengingly, like they didn't believe her, and she stood up from her seat. "Grab your beach gear boys, I'm about to show you how it's done."

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So, what's going to happen at the beach? Any ideas from anyone? I've got an excellent idea for the next chapter, one that GilbertDrone328 is going to enjoy, I believe! Anyways, thanks for reading and drop me a review if you've got the time and feel like making my day!

Baby Blue ;)


	5. California Girls

Disclaimer: I'm really sorry guys, but to say that I owned Big Time Rush would be a lie. And I also have to give credit to my two best friends for helping me with the other characters. So really, I own nothing.

Author's Note: So, I'm pretty much just the worst person on Earth right now. I am so sorry that this wasn't up earlier. Literally it was like ninety-five percent done and I just didn't finish it because I wasn't sure what to do with it. So here it is. Finished and I think it turned into a pretty good chapter; however, it wasn't exactly how I wanted it to end.

Anyways, let me give the usual props to **GilbertDrone328** and **VladdieChica** for their lovely reviews! I hope you guys are satisfied with the chapter and thanks for the reviews! Also, thanks to those who read, favorited, or alerted this story!

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Chapter 5:

"_California Girls"_

"Tess, is that normal?" Throughout her seventeen years in California, Leah didn't think she had ever bore witness to such a magnificent scene. She and her cousins had always had crushes on boys; from the time they had cooties until the time that they grew up. Of course, living in a beach city and having that city be Los Angeles, she had seen her fair share of male bodies.

Never, however, had she been close enough to actually see the water glisten off the hardened muscles. Well, there as that one time in 3-D, but she didn't count that.

Looking away from the Adonis-like figure of the brunette boy in front of her, she turned to her cousin who was watching the scene with interest as well. Except, instead of taking in the eye candy like Leah had been doing, she was looking on as Kendall talked to some girl holding a surf-board. "That is completely ridiculous." Tess said as she narrowed her baby blues.

"I know, right? I didn't think sixteen year old boys were supposed to be that ripped either." Camille said from her spot to Tess's right. Leah nodded her head, pushing her blonde bangs out of her eyes while looking out to where Sophie was paddling as fast as she could away from James and Logan who were out on the water with her.

They had arrived at the beach a little over an hour ago, having piled in Leah's dad's Range Rover and Kendall's mom's mini-van (which Logan drove, having attained his license about a month ago). Almost immediately after arriving, Sophie, Logan, and James had grabbed surfboards from the rental shop on the boardwalk and had raced to the ocean to show one another up. As to be expected the boys were pretty good, but Sophie, who was clumsy as hell on land, actually knew what she was doing.

By the time they had shown off enough to come back to the shore, the rest of the crew had already set up camp, laying out chairs and towels on the hard-packed sand. It was when the boys had first come back to shore that Tess and Leah took notice. Not only were they tan like they'd been living in Hawaii their whole lives, but they were also sporting He-Man type muscles.

_Not to the point where they were disgustingly buff, but like they could easily pick you off and carry you to, _Leah had thought before blushing quickly as Kendall and Carlos both shed their shirts and headed towards the water along with the other three. While Camille, Tess, and Leah had stayed on the beach, the water flowing ever nearer as the tide came in, they had passed the time gawking. Or at least, in Leah's case, she was gawking.

"No, not that, but I will admit it's pretty hot," Tess shot them a wink before turning her icy glare towards Kendall. "Who does he think he is inviting us to the beach and then going off to shack up with some blonde bimbo?"

"Watch it with the bimbo jokes, Tess. I happen to be a natural blonde." Leah retorted with a smile to let her cousin know she was kidding. Turning away from the waves and the surfers, she found it easier to talk to the girls if she wasn't so distracted. "I don't think Kendall is going to go 'shack up' with anyone that he just met. We haven't known him that long so you really shouldn't be making assumptions. Do you remember what happened last time we had this conversation?"

Tess thought for a moment about earlier today when they had butted heads and she rubbed her nose absently for any residual sunscreen. "That was totally different. And all I'm saying is that it's rude to invite someone somewhere and then to leave them for someone else."

Camille smiled knowingly while brushing her brown curls from her shoulders and settling back in her chair. "Not to be nosy or anything, but do you have something going for Kendall, Tess?" The scoff she received was both over-exaggerated and quick on the draw. Tess stood, anticipating the need to find her sunscreen before she burnt worse than Leah and faced the two waiting girls.

"I don't think I could have feelings for someone that was so obviously full of himself." There was a widening of eyes from both Camille and Leah and Tess turned quickly as a shadow fell over her figure. With a curse, she looked past the chiseled pectorals to the perfect lips and then into the blue eyes and bushy eyebrows of one Kendall Knight.

"You ladies wouldn't be talking about James, would you? Full of himself, a bit of a pretty boy," Kendall continued to tick things off on his fingers while smiling deviously.

"But all together amazing and champion at life?" James said from behind Kendall as he walked up the beach and put his surfboard down. Without realizing why, Leah's face started to heat up and she prayed that everyone just thought it was from the sun. "You really shouldn't say such nice things about me when I'm not here, Ken-dork."

"Then you shouldn't set yourself up so easily, Diamond Girl." Kendall told his friend; laughing at the reference to the song they had found to fit James' name perfectly a few years ago. "Now that you're here, though, would it be alright if I continued to talk nicely about you?"

Rolling his eyes, James fell to the sand and lay back on the beach, putting his hands up to his wet chest. "You've cut me deep. I may not recover." Sitting back up, his back and pieces of hair covered with sand, he turned his gaze to Tess. "So, Tess, I'm going to go ahead and call the fact that you were the one talking about me, seeing as you don't act too fond of us."

Leah felt her mouth drop open as James openly called Tess out. Even Tess was slightly surprised; slightly impressed that he'd had the guts to do it. "And if I was?" She asked with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. It was obvious to her that James was just playing around, but the looks on the faces of her friends were priceless.

Sitting up on his elbows, James sent a cocky wink her way. "All I've got to say is that I do love a challenge." They stared each other down for a second before laughing. Camille and Leah exchanged a glance while Kendall sat down next on the sand next to Leah's chair. When the laughter had subsided, he decided now would be a good time to bring up Tammy.

"Well, if you two are quite finished, I can tell you all about the beach party happening just a few blocks down the boardwalk." The curiosity of his listeners was peaked, and confident that he had their attention, he continued. "That blond I was with earlier, Tammy, said that when the sun started to set they were going to start up the fire and start making hot dogs, burgers, and s'mores. The invitation was opened to everyone as well."

Looking at the person closest to him, who was Leah, he raised an eyebrow to illicit a response. After a few moment of pointless staring, Leah shook out of her daze and cleared her throat slightly. "Sounds like a plan to me." She said quietly and flushed again when James looked at her with his deep hazel eyes.

"I agree," He said while still looking at her. Standing quickly, she shed her shorts and took off towards the water at a run. Tess rolled her eyes at her cousin, who was like a gazelle with her long legs and huge stride, and then stood up as well.

"Anyone game for teaching me how to surf?" She asked and Kendall stood up to hand her his board. "Thanks," She said with a slight smile, trying not to be as much of a bitch as she usually was towards strangers. At least he wasn't going to be totally rude and ditch them. James and Camille stood as well, making their way towards the water where Logan was coaxing Leah into the cool water.

Sophie and Carlos were out in the surf, waiting for the perfect wave, and laughing when Logan grabbed Leah's hand unexpectedly and pulled her out to the deeper water. The shriek she let out was high pitched and girly, which sent them all into another fit of giggles. While they were all laughing at Leah's misfortune, Kendall and James had snuck up on Camille and as each of the boys grabbed one of her arm's they gave an almighty toss and threw her into the ocean.

Tess threw her head back and laughed, until of course, she saw that they were both looking at her with a mischievous look in their eyes. "No, I do not condone the throwing of other's into cold water." She said while putting her hands up in surrender and backing away. With devious smiles, they continued to stalk towards her. As she prepared to bolt, they were too fast and grabbed her by her arms and legs, hoisting her into the air as they towed her to the water.

By the time they had all tired from the waves and the water, Leah felt her muscles aching all over. There was no way she was going to let Sophie convince her that surfing would be fun ever again. While Tess had gotten the hang of it rather quickly, falling off her board more on the account that she was laughing at Leah and not because she couldn't keep her balance, Leah was the exact opposite. If Sophie was a klutz on land, then Leah was Sophie in water.

It was impossible for her to get her legs in the right position by the time the wave came, and she had crashed in the surf too many times to count before she just gave up and floated on the board. Playing in the surf had been fun, until it had gotten a bit darker, causing every little bump in the water to become a man-eating shark. Most of the time it had just been James or Carlos, both without boards now that there were more of them in the water, but Leah had always been deathly afraid of the things she couldn't see.

"What do you do during thunder storms?" Carlos had asked the blonde with a bewildered look on his face after she had kicked James in the stomach when he had grabbed her ankle. She was still blushing from the incident and had even offered to help him walk back to shore. With his arm around her, she looked back to Carlos and shrugged.

"I either sleep in my brother's room where there aren't any windows or I don't sleep at all." She said very logically. Carlos, who was too nice to comment on the absurdity of a seventeen year old girl being afraid of something like the dark, smiled at her and then took Camille's hand as he walked back up the beach with her.

While Tess, Sophie, Kendall, and Logan lagged behind carrying the surfboards, James took the opportunity to study the girl helping him up the beach. She was tall, no doubt about that; in fact it was one of the first things he had noticed when they met. Instead of having to double over to see her eyes, he only had to tilt his head down. Her curly blonde hair was in waves as the ocean water began to dry in her tresses and while she was by no means perfect, he couldn't help but smirk at the view he had. He was a guy, so in his mind, he just couldn't pass up that once in a lifetime opportunity.

As if sensing his gaze, Leah began to blush a deep rose color and then turned her gaze to look up at him. He smirked slightly at her and she smiled before looking away. "So, I know that you're not from Los Angeles, but I don't really know anything else about you." She stated in her soft voice. James cleared his throat while straightening up some but keeping his arm around her slender shoulder.

"Well, we used to live in Minnesota, but when Katie was, uhm, discovered," He paused for a minute, seeing how he'd be able to swing this one. "We moved out here to give Kendall a helping hand. His mom is sick and she didn't want Katie to leave without her so we offered to help her out and move up here."

Leah nodded, satisfied with the answer. James inwardly gave a sigh of relief. Though he couldn't see her eyes, he figured she was going to trust his answer without a million questions. "What about Kendall's dad, if you don't mind me asking? Or what about your own parents?" She turned towards him again, and momentarily he stared into her grayish-purple eyes.

"Kendall's dad hasn't been around since he was about five. It's just his mom, him, and Katie now." She looked so heartbroken that James had to turn away. He wasn't lying to her about the fact that Kendall had a lot of responsibility, but he also wasn't telling the truth about Mrs. Knight. "My parent's actually probably haven't even realized that I've left yet actually."

Stopping completely, Leah turned her body to face him. His arm slid from her shoulder and he looked at her quizzically. "That is completely terrible." She said and then did something totally out of character and hugged him. The coolness of her skin from the water and wind shocked him and he wrapped his arms around her briefly. He couldn't overdo it if he didn't want to come on too strong and scare her off.

Blushing deep red, she pulled back and tilted her gaze away, her hair coming to hide her face. To let her know he was fine, and that the hug had been appreciated, he took her hand and squeezed it quickly. They continued their walk up the beach to where their friends were congregated in silence, but every so often he could feel her gaze on him.

"What was all that about?" Sophie whispered to Leah as she put her shorts back on and pulled her tank top over her head. Sophie waited impatiently as Leah squeezed any excess water from her hair and formulated an answer.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure." Shoving her feet into her flip-flops and grabbing a sweatshirt from the back of her dad's car, she refused to let herself second guess the hug she had given James earlier. It was totally out of character for her, but in that moment the urge to touch him and comfort him had been too strong to resist. "Everyone ready?" She asked cheerily as they packed the last of their things into the cars. Tess, who was leaning against the side of the Range Rover (going against rule number seven), looked over at Leah and rolled her eyes.

"Sure;" Logan said while locking the door to Mrs. Knight's car and then smiling at Leah. Walking to keep up with the only boy that didn't make her feel strange things or didn't slightly worry her, she smiled at Logan and walked in time with him as the others talked behind them. "Listen, Leah, don't let James get to you, okay? He's the best friend a person could ask for but sometime's he tends to be a little too much. Give him a chance, yeah?"

"He's fine, really," She said while looking back slightly over her shoulder to the tall brunette who was making a face at Sophie as she texted lightening fast on her phone. When Sophie stopped suddenly in her tracks, causing Kendall to basically run her over, she started to jump up and down in excitement.

Grabbing Tess by the hands and making her join in the jumping, she started to squeal. "Jack Greene is coming to this party!" She shrieked excitedly. Tess, who looked interested for a second, rolled her eyes and then smiled at her cousin's antics. Leah pictured the aforementioned boy in her head for a minute before feeling a rush of giddiness for Sophie.

"Jack Greene? You mean the senior from seventh period?" Carlos asked in a questioning tone while trying to get a visual on the name. When it clicked, he started to laugh and then continued to walk. He didn't get far when Sophie stood in front of him on the boardwalk.

"What's so funny about this? Jack Greene is wonderful being sent to girl's everywhere so that we can stare shamelessly and flirt like we're middle-aged cougars." The way she spoke caused Camille to giggle a little and even Tess cracked a full-fledged smile.

Logan sighed and came to the defense of his friend. "Maybe, but you have to admit that the guy is kind of a douche." The outraged look on Sophie's face was replaced with one of cold stoniness.

"You, Logan Mitchell, are kind of douche." Then she took off down the boardwalk in the direction of the bonfire that was blazing as people roamed around the beach talking and laughing. While they all stared in the direction she had gone, Logan looked around helplessly.

"What did I do?" He asked no one in particular and Leah, taking pity on him, led him down to the beach where the party was taking place, trying to explain Sophie while the rest of their party walked behind them.

Kendall looked from Logan to the fading outline of Sophie as she mixed with the crowd. "Is she always that crazy?" He asked nonchalantly, pulling a face and turning towards Tess, who was the only one left after James had went in search of the drinks and Camille had pulled Carlos onto the dance floor.

"That's not even Sophie Monroe when she hasn't had her coffee." Tess said while patting Kendall on the arm and then walking towards the fire. When he was left alone, Kendall shook his head and then went in search of James with the drinks. After finding his own bottle of whatever was in the cooler, James popped the top and took a quick drink, frowning slightly at the coppery taste of beer sliding over his taste buds. He looked around the fire and quickly found Leah sitting alone on a beach chair.

Feeling his heart speed up just a little faster, he grabbed another bottle and walked around the fire towards her. When he sat down next to her, she looked down at him before giving him a small smile. James was about to open his mouth to speak when she spoke. "I'm worried about Sophie." She said nonchalantly while looking through the flames at her best friend and younger cousin.

James looked closer and realized that Sophie was actually talking to someone a little taller than himself and then he realized who it was. "I'm sure she knows what she's doing." He said raising his bottle slightly and tilting it towards Greene. While James wasn't exactly fond of the senior boy, he had to have some respect for the guy. How else would he have been able to have all the girls in the school lusting after his every move if he wasn't pure genius?

"I just don't want her to get hurt," Leah said. She continued to people watch, seeing Tess and Kendall down by the waves, talking while Tess waved her arms around. Logan was off to the side dancing with some girl with bleached hair on the dance floor, while Carlos and Camille roasted s'mores across the fire from them. Finally, turning to face James who was watching her, Leah twisted her hands nervously. "For some reason I'm really protective of them and it bores people that I meet. So if you don't want to hang out with me, please don't feel obliged."

Scooting closer to her, James put his arm over her shoulder cautiously. He had to be careful with this or she'd probably close up in shyness. "I'm here because I want to be, Leah." Her gray eyes peered up at him through her unruly bangs and without thinking clearly, she sat up straighter and kissed him. Completely sober and completely confused as to what she was doing, her arms went around his neck as the arm that was around her shoulders slid around her waist.

When they broke apart, arms still around each other, James went ahead and threw caution to the wind. "Do you want to get out of here?" With a nod and an unsure smile, Leah stood and held out her hand.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, there it is people. I hope that you all enjoyed it and drop me a line and tell me what you thought of it! The next chapter is going to be the rest of the party from Tess and Kendall, Logan and Sophie.

See you soon!

Love!


	6. Dreaming With A Broken Heart

Disclaimer: Still don't own it; still want to get a piece of all four boys. Also, don't own the song, which belongs to the ever wonderful John Mayer.

Author's Note: Well, it's been, awhile. I want to start off by saying that I am so very sorry for not updating since the summer. This work is definitely still within me and my muse for these boys has finally come back. I want to start taking this story in a new direction though; farther away from what's going on in the show but still having the boys stay in character. It's rough doing so, but I'm going to do my best. Don't worry though, nothing about my writing style or the humor or the story is going to change too much. Just less following of what goes on in the show.

Second point: If you want to be able to keep up with my stories or just more about me, follow me on twitter. Username is prongsflower. I'll be talking about updates or answering questions about stories on there as well!

Thanks to those who have stuck with me and followed the story even though I've been a pretty shitty author. Any questions or anything feel free to p.m. me or leave me a signed review and I'll get back to you.

Love you all!

* * *

_Chapter 6:_

_Dreaming with a Broken Heart_

"Leave me alone, Sophie. I'm not telling you again." Leah said while sitting in her dad's range rover as the two girls waited outside of Tess's house before school the Monday following their Beach Party Disaster. Rolling her eyes, Sophie reached over and fiddled with the knob on the stereo, blasting whatever old rock music her uncle had left in the car that week. She watched critically as Leah once again adjusted her seat, not yet comfortable in her father's car, as she was in her own convertible, which was still MIA with her brother, somewhere.

"I've only asked a few times and besides, the time that you did tell me it was all vague and nonchalant." Reaching over to honk the horn again, she sat back in her seat primly before smiling at her cousin. "You made out with _James_, aka one of the hot new guys, and all you had to say was 'we kissed and then he left.' That's not even an explanation!"

Leah sighed heavily, blowing her bangs off her face before tightening her ponytail and revving the gas slightly as Tess came bounding out the door, slamming it shut and swinging her backpack around dangerously. "I said drop it, Soph, or I'm going to hit you."

The door slammed to the car, rattling the sturdy machine as Tess dropped into the back seat with a frustrated huff/scream. Putting their differences of opinion aside, Sophie and Leah looked at each other questioningly before turning towards the back seat. Her bright blue eyes were glazed over with moisture, her bottom lip trembling slightly. "Just, get me away from this house, okay?"

Without question, Leah put her foot on the brake, shifted the gear to drive, and then put her foot to the gas. As they pulled out of her long driveway and through the gate, Tess finally sighed while digging through her Coach backpack for a tissue. As they hit the interstate, she was finally composed enough to talk. Before she opened her mouth, Sophie looked back at her cousin and bit her lip. How many times had this happened within the past year? She knew that Tess was getting fed up with her parents never being home, but when they were home they were always fighting about something.

It was time for some answers. "Tess, I get it if you don't want to talk, but once again, Leah and I are here for you. It's also okay if you want to cry." She gave a small smile while Leah sat up a little straighter to glance at Tess in the rearview mirror. As Leah switched lanes, Tess sighed deeply and began to speak.

"My parents are having a kid. Another little brat to run around the house and for them to forget about." Tess choked up at the last part but composed herself quickly to continue. "I mean, yay, I'm all for another child in the house and I've always thought that the house was too big and quiet, but what are they going to do? Hire a nanny? Expect me to be the nanny? My mother was home when I was growing up; what are they going to do now that no one is around?"

As Leah turned onto the highway, she pushed her sunglasses on to the top of her head. "Tess, I think this really boils down to the fact that you're pissed at your parents for not being home and being there for you. And like I've said before, we'll help you in any way that you need. I'd love to be a babysitter for my stunning new cousin."

"And it's not like I've never watched a child before." Sophie added while turning completely in her seat to look at her cousin. Her eyes were still misty but her smile brightened a little at her cousin's reassurance. "And you never know, your parents may surprise you."

"They 'may' surprise me. I just don't think that it will happen." Tess said and with that, she zipped her backpack up violently and crossed her arms. "But seriously, we're dropping the subject and I'm not thinking about it again until we get home. School will be a good day today. Now, fill me in on the weekend gossip."

Sophie smiled almost viciously and Leah felt her heart drop. She usually looked forward to their Monday morning gossip sessions; except this time she was a topic of discussion. "Well," Sophie dragged out and Leah tensed her left hand on the wheel while using her right hand to pull down her sunglasses again. "Leah here has some news for us all. Go ahead, Leah, fill her in."

Tess leaned forward as her seatbelt pulled so she could look at her cousin. "Sit back before you get cut in half by your seat belt," Leah said and as soon as Tess was sitting correctly, she said quickly, "I kissed James."

"I'm sorry, Leah, but what was that?" Tess said genuinely questioning her. Sophie laughed at Tess's confused look and Leah's flaming cheeks through her bronzed tan from the weekend.

"I said I kissed James." Leah ground out and Tess let out a squeal and shook Leah's arm hard jerking the car a bit. As horns blew at them from all directions, the girls in the car began to talk animatedly and quickly as Leah tried to calm her pounding heart. "Calm it down! We almost just died."

"Oh, we did not, and this is important!" Sophie said laughing at how uptight Leah was about driving. "Maybe you should go find him when we get to school. I swear he'd probably be able to ease some of your tenseness." As they pulled into the parking lot of the school, Leah tried to cool her flaming face so people wouldn't think something was wrong with her.

"I'm really starting to regret saying anything." She parked the car and locked the doors before they could get out. Ignoring their laughing faces, she took her glasses off and narrowed her gray eyes. "Do not tell _anyone_ about this, and no jokes; I have class with him in a few minutes and I don't want any funny business."

"Except if you guys are alone, right?" Tess asked and she and Sophie started cackling again as Leah smiled slightly.

"It's not a big deal, you two. We haven't even spoken since it happened." She felt her stomach start to churn again as she thought about her silent phone in the pocket of her dark skinny jeans. "And anyways, don't think that I didn't see you and Kendall down by the ocean and Sophie, you and Jack dancing."

With that she got out of the car, pulling down her pink blowy tank top and brushing her bangs back from her eyes. As she began to walk into school with her messenger bag bumping her thigh, Tess and Sophie walked a little slower behind their tall cousin silent in their own thoughts. Seeing Carlos in the lobby of the school, Sophie waved and took his arm while they walked to their first class together while Tess felt her false happiness waver when she saw Logan and Kendall looking at her.

She and Kendall hadn't been too friendly the other night at the party. First she had been unsure of the girl he had been talking to, and then as she spoke to one of the boys she met at the party, he had interrupted them. They had gone down to the ocean's edge and as Tess felt the tang of the alcohol she had been drinking kick in, she had told Kendall exactly what she thought of him and his friends.

To say she was rude was a massive understatement, and that on top of all the things that had happened that morning before school was going to make her physically sick. Trying not to sigh and roll her eyes as the two looked at her like a ticking time bomb, Logan obviously knew, she put her happy face back on. "Let's get to class, shall we?" She asked rhetorically while swinging her backpack higher on her shoulders.

While Logan fell slightly behind, acting as if he was extremely interested in one of the posters on the wall advertising the baseball team and their next few games, Kendall gathered his courage. When Tess realized that Kendall was looking at her expectantly, she pulled him over to the side of the hallway so that they wouldn't get run over and would be away from the rumor mill.

"Listen, Tess, we didn't get off to a good start; not at school, not at the Palmwoods, and not at the party this weekend." Kendall rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he looked down at the brunette in front of him. She scuffed her jeans that were dragging the floor and avoided her eyes but he knew she was listening. "So I was wondering if we could possibly start again? As friends; like a do over."

Finally looking up, Tess saw the genuineness in his green eyes and found herself nodding without thinking. As they shook hands cheekily, Logan walked up with a smile on his face. "So, did you two hear about James and Leah?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and Tess couldn't help but laugh as they began to talk about the boy's advancements on the tall blonde.

When Sophie reached the auditorium where choir was being held today after lunch, James trailing behind her while she texted quickly on her phone, she noticed that most everyone was standing on the stage, with Leah and Logan on the floor by the piano talking to Mrs. Burbage. Nodding towards Tess, she joined her and left James to walk towards Carlos and Kendall whom were both talking animatedly with Travis.

"What's going on?" She asked her as Tess wordlessly handed over the sheet music for the day. Sophie smiled widely when she saw the song. "I mean, why are we in the auditorium instead of the room today?"

"Well, Burbage said something about our next performance and she wanted to boys to get a feel for the auditorium. I don't see why we don't practice in here all the time but whatever." Tess said with a shrug before going back to counting out the music in her head.

"And I assume that's why the piano player and the band are here?" Sophie said while nodding to the senior on the piano bench talking to Logan and Leah, both of whom were nodding quickly.

"You would be correct. Then Burbage announced that Logan and Leah were chosen at random today. I can't wait to see how this goes down, what with Leah being so shy. Her face has been stained tomato red all day!" Tess said with a laugh as she fanned herself with the music.

Both girls snapped to attention as Burbage clapped her hands and Logan and Leah swung their way up to the stage. Tapping their piano player on the shoulder, Mrs. Burbage directed the two leads while everyone watched the song unfold.

Soft piano music filled the air and Leah took a breath while turning towards Logan. "_When you're dreaming with a broken heart,_" She looked down as her soft, but strong voice filled the room. "_The waking up is the hardest part._"

Logan took the lead now as he walked towards Leah, his steps unsure but Sophie could tell that it was just the way he was playing the character of the song. "_You roll out of bed, and down on your knees. And for a moment you can hardly breathe. Wondering was she really here?_"

Leah looked up now, and for a moment, James thought her eyes really were glazed with tears, but then she looked away and out at some unseen audience while Logan stared straight at the curly-haired blonde. Turning his attention again, he followed along with the rest of the choir as they began to move slowly around Leah and Logan.

"_Is she standing in my room? No she's not," _He looked so forlorn as Leah finally turned away and began to walk around to the other side of the stage, and then he sang his last words as the drums joined the piano. "_Cus' she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone._"

Climbing the tiered floor, Leah sat down on one of the steps, seemingly unaware of the choir softly 'cooing' from behind her. "_When you're dreaming with a broken heart, the giving up is the hardest part." _Finding Logan from the other side of the stage, it was her turn to stand up and sing to him. Her face, Tess noted with a slight smile, was only slightly red. "_She's takes you in with her crying eyes; then all at once you have to say goodbye._"

She began to walk towards Logan, who was now looking at her with a smile as he held his hands out as if she was going to run into his arms. Mrs. Burbage, who was still directing the choir and band, nodded her head as she watched her two shiest students lead. "_Wondering could you stay, my love? Will you wake up at my side?"_ Just as Leah was reaching him, her hand reached out, but the choir moved between them, pushing Logan back slightly so their hands never touched._ "But she can't, cus she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone."_

The instrumentals began to play and Tess took Logan's hand as they started to sway slightly like they were slow dancing. James took Burbage's advice with no trepidation and wrapped Leah in his arms as they too started to dance. Travis and Samantha were next, then Kendall and Sophie and Emily and Carlos. The slow dance turned into a cross between a ballet with its turns and lifts and a waltz. Leah found her eyes meet James's and she couldn't help it as her mouth parted and her heart sped up.

She was watching him so intently, trying to memorize the way she felt and the way that it felt as he held her just under her ribs that she almost missed her cue as he spun her out and into Logan's waiting arms. "_Now do I have to fall asleep with roses in my hand? Do I have to fall asleep with roses in my hand?" _He sang to her as she grasped his arms and tried to catch her breath to sing. He started blushing when she looked into his eyes and his arms tightened slightly to keep her from stumbling.

Not realizing it, Sophie felt a sharp pang of jealousy while she and Emily switched partners. Being able to see slightly over Carlos, she watched Logan and Leah closely, not realizing she wasn't the only one. "_Do I have to fall asleep with roses in my hand? Do I have to fall asleep with roses in my hand?"_ She sang back while emphasizing the words as best she could.

"_Do I have to fall asleep with roses in my, roses in my hand?" _They sang together and as Burbage dimmed the stage lights and flicked on the spotlight on the couple in the middle, the choir faded as did the instruments till once again it was just the piano. Disentangling themselves, Logan and Leah stood looking at each other. The hurt and confused faces each was sporting were almost too good and everyone watched as the song reached its end.

"_Would you get them if I did?_" He stepped back, their hands once again falling from each other's and Leah crossed her arms and looked down while the spotlight fell from her and landed on Logan for the remainder of the song. "_No you won't; cus you're gone, gone, gone, gone, gone."_

"_When you're dreaming with a broken heart, the waking up is the hardest part." _ Leah's voice rang out through the dark as the lights shut off completely. As her voice faded and the music ended, she took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart. What the hell had just happened?

As the house lights went back on, Mrs. Burbage clapped her hands. Leah and Logan looked at each other, neither knowing what to say and forgetting their shyness for the moment as they just stared. "Well, that should be it for the day. I will see you all tomorrow!" The bell rang, shaking the two teenagers out of their staring match and Leah sprung into action, grabbing her bag from the first row of seats in the auditorium. She hustled out quickly, leaving Tess and Sophie to look at each other questioningly as they gathered their things and followed her.

"What the hell, dude?" James asked Logan as he stood in front of Logan who had finally grabbed his backpack. As Kendall and Carlos joined the two brunettes, they began to walk out of the auditorium. They were about halfway up the stairs when Logan answered James's question and the question that was on everyone's mind. "What was that?" James questioned again in a softer tone. He couldn't be mad at the shorter boy and reigned in his jealousy at the way Leah had looked at Logan when she had barely spoken to him all day.

"I literally have no clue." Logan said before stepping out into the hallway and to the class that he shared with both Tess and Kendall. The latter laid his hand on James's shoulder, which rolled his eyes and walked towards the class that he shared with Sophie and Carlos. As the boys parted ways, each with thoughts about what had just happened, Leah sighed from her spot in the dark on the top of the stairs.

Her mind was racing as she tried to think about what had just happened. Humming the song they had just sang, she thought about everything that was going on. She and James had kissed that night on the beach. And then after that, they had walked along the water until she had looked up and caught him staring at her. Ever since, she had been seeing his dark chocolate eyes, feeling his hands on her bare skin as he had kissed her gently, replaying the cool ocean water as it hit her ankles.

Except, during that song as Logan had held her and looked so clearly into her eyes while he sang, she had felt her heart jump a little. Maybe it had just been the acting that had happened while they sang. Mrs. Burbage had told her to play the part of the broken lover and she had done her best. But maybe her acting was hitting close to home. She clenched her hands and shoved her fists into the back pocket of her jeans as her flats scuffed the floor while she leaned against a bench that was located in the little alcove.

Was it possible that if she let herself feel, let yet another person into her life that she wasn't going to be let down like so many times before? How could she feel like this for two boys she had only met about a week or so prior when she couldn't even let her own parents in? Her own brother? She didn't do emotional attachment. While people would say that it was Sophie who never got tied down, or Tess who was aloof, Leah was the one who was guarded. No one could get to close. She wasn't outwardly rude, and she didn't break hearts in return, but that was only because she didn't let anyone close enough to do that to her.

With another sigh, she gathered her things and sent a text message to Sophie and Tess. _Going for a drive; take notes for me please! I'll be back before school is over. Just need a breather._ Locking her phone, she quickly made her way out to the car, digging for her keys as she stepped out the door and not noticing who was leaning up against _her_ car. "Hey, sis, care to go for a drive?"

The blank look on her face was enough to let him know his cheekiness was not appreciated. "Zack." She said with a frown. He smiled while holding out the keys to her convertible in one hand and opening the door with the other. "Let's talk."

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AN: So, not only do I not update for forever, but I also leave you with a cliffhanger. I'm sorry and I'm a terrible person, but updates are coming faster than ever from now on. Promise. So, anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and leave me some feedback on what you think! Have an awesome night/day/morning!

Much love and blessings. :)


	7. Baby You've Got What it Takes

Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own anything from Big Time Rush or from Nickelodeon for that matter. However, I do own the girls and all of the little lovely things that swim around in my brain.

Author's Note: I am so freaking sorry for not getting this written and updated sooner. I'm a failure when it comes to updating and keeping promises. BUT I hope that you enjoy some of the things happening in this chapter and will bear with me while I get the second part of the chapter written as well. I won't bore you with a long Author's note, so without further ado, chapter 7! :)

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_Chapter 7:_

"_Baby (You've Got What It Takes)"_

"Are you all ready for this?" Carlos asked in an excited whisper as they all stood around in their attire for the evenings show. The benefit that was being put on had asked the kids of the William S. Hart choir to put on a few songs for the teens and the adults that would be in attendance. Tuesday when they had found out about it, Mrs. Burbage had told the kids they would each get to perform what they wanted and as a whole they would perform at the beginning of the show together.

Now, as the boys stood around with their preshow jitters, Carlos had decided to ask the same question over and over again. It was about 5 minutes to curtain and the girls were all in the zone. Sophie quietly practiced her steps to the opening number, while Leah ran a Chi through her already straightened hair in case a curl decided to pop up out of nowhere. Tess, however, sat calmly trying to think of things that wouldn't stress her out.

James and Logan were a different story. As the two boys whispered quietly in the corner away from everyone else, they continued to shoot covert glances around the room at their classmates. Kendall, who was looking slightly uncomfortable in the flowing white pants of the costume for the opening number, tried to calm Carlos down so he wouldn't freak out and burst in excitement. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Mrs. Burbage came behind the curtain and smiled at them all.

"I'm so happy that we were able to get this together on such short notice. Now, remember your lines, steps, lyrics, and please, smile." They all nodded as the girls did one last wardrobe check. Slipping out to address the crowded auditorium, Burbage left her students to make their final adjustments.

Twirling to make sure her dress wouldn't stick, Leah adjusted the straps on her deep maroon salsa dress and smiled at her dance partner for the dance, Kendall. Shaking her wrists back to push all her bangles out of the way, she walked towards where he was picking at his pants. "Stop fussing with your pants, you'll get them dirty." She said while rolling her eyes and smoothing down Kendall's flowy maroon button down.

Cuffing the sleeves of his own aqua shirt, James paused to spin Tess around and she rolled her eyes as her own salsa dress spun around her, the tinkling of the beads the only noise behind the stage. "We're so going to own this. Sophie, Leah, don't trip over the bench again. Alright?" Throwing her a dirty look, Sophie let Carlos, in his soft yellow shirt, take her arm. Curtsying in her yellow salsa dress she stuck her tongue out in acknowledgement as the crowd began to clap.

"Logan, you ready?" Sophie whispered to the boy in the emerald shirt, who looked nervous but otherwise like he was ready to go out to the stage where Samantha, Emily, and Travis all waited. Without any further warning, the curtain lifted and they all walked out to take their places. Leah and Tess sat together on the bench in the middle of the stage where it was still dark, acting as if they were going to be talking quietly to each other and Logan waited just off stage with the ice cream stand.

Sophie, who was standing with Carlos and Emily, bounced excitedly while James, Travis, Samantha, and Kendall took their places in the background as well. Giving the go ahead, Logan started to walk out on stage pushing the cart with a very nonchalant air as the music started to play and the background noise filled in. The spotlight hit Leah and Tess who began to act as if they were interested in talking and quasi-stalking Logan.

"Ice cream. Ice cream!" Logan said while the bells rang and it sounded like the ocean was sounding in the background. Stopping in front of the girls, Logan winked at Tess. "Hey, baby, want to try this ice cream?" Giggling, she acted like she was peering into the cart while biting her lip.

"Got a little bit of banana?" She asked coyly while the bongos started and Logan made a 'ah' noise to the girls. As the lights began to slowly come on, she asked for another flavor. "Chocolate? Vanilla? Banana flavored?"

As they started to laugh and he held out his arm for her, Leah started to 'ooh' into her mic, while they started to push the ice cream stand off the stage into the side and out of the way. The lights began to light up and slowly standing off of the bench she got louder as everyone started to walk out, the boys congregating together and Logan kissing Tess's hand suavely as she joined the girls.

While the music started to go, they all began to dance and twirl around while the trumpets took full force. Whooping with the music, they all did their best to smile and engage the audience before giving themselves over to the parts they were playing in the song.

James and Kendall walked over with Logan, sitting on the bench while Logan stood casually next to it and began to sing. "_I'm the ice cream man, known as Melo. Now wouldn't you like to say hello to a fellow?_" As he said this, Leah walked by and twiddled her fingers at him in hello walking off flirtily and Kendall got up to follow after her while James spread out more on the bench. "_Me and my amigos, sitting all on a bench, somewhere down in Puerto Rico."_

"_Two coco hunnys stepped by._" At this point, Sophie and Tess started to stroll by arm in arm and Logan and James exchanged a look while nodding their heads as if they were interested. "_They were looking magnifico so I stepped to 'em. Yeah, how ya doin? I took a close second look and knew that I knew 'em!_" During this sequence, James and Logan both slid in front of the girls. While James and Tess casually eye-flirted, Logan looked at Sophie and did a double look to get a better feel for her.

Grabbing hold of her hand, he pulled her closer to him to sing and semi-dance with her. "_Bingo! Let me drop all my lingo. I'll make you understand that I'm still single. So hunny don't you worry, no way. I gotta truck full of pop sticks here to stay."_

Moving the bench out of the way, Carlos and Travis joined Emily and Samantha to dance while Kendall, Leah, Tess, and James began to dance and sing into their head-mics and Logan 'seduced' Sophie in front. "_Whoop whoop!" _Everyone called out while they got prepared to follow Logan's directions as he sang them.

"_Just slide a little." _Taking the girls by the waist, the boys slid them closer and then bent them back into a dip.

"_Whoop Whoo!"_

"_Just ride a little." _Spinning the girls around while they were in the dip, the boys righted them before letting go and switching partners with the boys to their rights.

"_Whoop whoo!"_

"_Baby, baby, get down! Little in the middle but surrounded by a big round," _Logan stopped right before and looked at Sophie as if he was scared of her reaction while the boys behind him were fake slapped and switched partners again.

"_Whoop whoo!"_

"_Just slide a little." _The same moves from earlier were repeated, but this time the girls slid away from the boys and the boys got pulled towards them.

"_Whoop whoo."_

"_Just ride a little." _Instead of being dipped, the girls used the boys to spin themselves, their skirts looking like ball gowns as they fanned around the spinning legs.

"_Whoop whoo."_

"_Baby, baby, get down! Little in the middle but surrounded by a big round," _Again, he stopped right before but not before Sophie broke free from his grasp, hands on her hips as she sashayed away from him. As the band played louder, Logan shrugged his shoulders in a 'what can you do' motion and began to stand there as the girls got their right partners back and Emily came to join him. As they all began to sway and sashay around the stage, Kendall decided to have a little fun and twirled Leah while letting go of her, making everyone think she was going to crash until Logan caught her and then dipped her back.

This was Kendall's cue to start his part of the song. "_Chocolate, banana, vanilla flavor, you can trying any 'one' thing, I'll do ya that favor. But later on ya got be here by my side, waiting on the side of the ride." _Turning around, he moved back out of the center to take Leah back from Logan, who acted like she was swooning in Kendall's arms as he danced with her. Meanwhile, Tess and James took their spot in the center while he sang to Tess.

"_Hey, we're goina do a thing that's mega. I'm having way more 'fun' than those kiddies playin the Sega. Like Noriega, I'm dictatin' the game and I don't stop until you scream out my name!" _Grabbing her around the middle, she glared and then took off after him while she called after him. _"Hey!"_

"_So honey don't you worry no way! I gotta truck full of pop sticks here to stay." _Carlos sang while he and Sophie ran past James and Tess, Sophie navigating and side-stepping the bench markers with a happy expression on her face as she sent a wink to Tess.

Once again, the whole choir gathered around to sing while Logan and Samantha stood in the front. "_Whoop whoop. Just slide a little. Whoop whoop; just ride a little! Whoop whoop; baby, baby, get down. Little in the middle but surrounded by a big round," _Pausing, he flinched back as Samantha fake hit him and spun her away only to have Leah smiling up at him. The chorus began again, the same dances happening. "_Whoop whoop. Just slide a little. Whoop whoop; just ride a little! Whoop whoop; baby, baby, get down. Little in the middle but surrounded by a big round," _Again he spun her away but when he turned back around it was to a glaring Sophie.

Putting his hands up he backed up some, as if caught, "_Ha ha. Havin' fun." _Side stepping her, he let Carlos take her back and start dancing with her again as Logan stepped forward and started to address the crowd. "_Why don't you all slide a little, ride a little, smile a little, and spend a little time with me?"_

"_Would you all, stop standing around. Bring that butt to the dance floor. Let's get it on," _Addressing Kendall and Leah, as well as Travis and Emily, who were all acting like they weren't going to dance again, he pulled them to the 'dance floor' and acted like he was showing them how to move. _ "Tonight's the night! Oh, yeah!" _

He continued to encourage everyone while still keeping up his moves with Samantha. The crowd was entranced by all the twirling dresses, the boys in their white pants and their flowing tops, and many people were clapping along, and even a brave few were swaying to the music from their seats. Smiling, Logan got ready for the grand finale as everyone came to stand around each other as if they were singing to each other in their semi-circle.

"W_hoop, whoo!" _They all called while clapping their hands and raising their hands up to get the crowd involved.

"_Just slide a little." _Kendall and Leah sang together.

"_Whoop whoo!"_

"_Just ride a little." _Carlos and Sophie sang while laughing slightly.

"_Whoop, whoo!"_

"_Baby, baby, get down! Little in the middle but surrounded by a big round," _Tess and James sang while turning to look at each other like they were questioning each other.

They sang the chorus twice more, everyone laughing and dancing around and as the trumpet began to play the final notes, they all started to walk away. Sophie and Leah took each other by the arms and started to exit the stage while Kendall, James, and Tess walked off. Carlos and Emily, then Travis and Samantha soon followed them. As the final notes played, Logan put his 'ice cream' hat back on and strolled off the stage with a smirk on his face and his hands in his pocket.

As the curtain lowered, they all happily smiled at each other and clapped each other on the back while Carlos left to get ready for the next song, which he would sing by himself. He was to be followed by Travis and Samantha, then Emily would go, and then Kendall and Tess would sing their song. Leah would then succeed them, then James, Logan, Carlos, and Kendall would perform together, and finally Sophie would close the show.

Judging by the amount of nervousness that had followed them at the beginning, they all knew it was going to be a ways to go before they were truly comfortable waiting backstage even though they were so excited.

Three songs later, and freshly changed into their costumes for the dance, Tess and Kendall waited for the curtain to rise and the band to start their song. Tess, who was in a navy swing dress with a fitted middle, flung her hands out in front of her in repeated motion as she ran over her words in her head. Kendall, who stood opposite of her was a complete 180 from her nervousness. Arms crossed over his white dress shirt, he tapped his foot, making the suspenders that were attatched to his black dress pants swing.

"Are you ready?" He asked, taking his place across the stage and pulling his bowler hat off to hold in his hand as the very beginning of the band started up. Looking at him and putting her hands on her hips, Tess sent him a slight smile and mouthed back, "This better work," as the curtain rose.

_Flashback_

"_Mrs. Burbage, can I talk with you for a second?" Tess asked after choir that Monday. As her cousins filed out of the old music room, Tess lingered behind and walked up to the old stage to talk to her teacher. At Mrs. Burgage's nod, she tried to phrase the question in an appropriate way. "My parents are probably going to make it to the benefit on Friday and in order to make them see that I really am serious about this whole music career thing, I need to really impress them with my work."_

_Putting her hand to her chin, Mrs. Burbage mulled over what she was saying before looking at Tess square in the eyes. "Tess, I believe you've got as much talent, if not more, that the wack jobs in the music industry today, so anything I can do to help you would be my pleasure."_

"_Thanks, Mrs. B. What I need to know is your opinion on who would be a good person to sing a duet with? It can't be Leah or Sophie, because my parents will just think it's too cutesie because of them being my cousins and all. But I'd really like to do a duet." She explained while pulling on her ponytail and then pushing her layers back behind her ears. Mrs. Burbage studied her for a moment before smiling at her and walking with her towards the door._

"_My dear, I think if you're looking for a duet partener, that you know just the blonde to sing with you." Raising an eyebrow at the teacher, Tess tried hard not to roll her eyes because she actually liked the choir director. _

"_But, I can't do a duet with Leah." She said, thinking about her blonde cousin with her curly hair and shy demeanor. That just wouldn't work out. She'd be too shy to even get out in front of the crowd unless the whole choir was backing her up. _

"_Oh, Tess, I'm not talking about Leah. I'm talking about tall, blonde, and eyebrows." The look on the older woman's face looked like she was up to something and it took less that a second for Tess to feel her face drop. _

"_Kendall? But I can't ask him to sing with me. We barely even know each other." Tess said. Mrs. Burbage shrugged her shoulders and then ushered Tess out of the door. "If you want to impress your parents, you will duet with Kendall. If not, then I'm sure a solo would be fine for you as well."_

_Shutting the door to the choir room, Tess walked out into the empty hallway before making her way towards the doors that would lead her to where Leah had parked for the end of the day. Truthfully, it wasn't like she didn't like Kendall. It was quite the opposite really. He was genuinely nice, just a little bit adventuress, and enough of a rule breaker to be fun but not dangerous. And he was cute. But she wouldn't admit that to anyone. _

_He wouldn't be a terrible partner but there was just something about him that she wasn't sure about. Sighing, she pushed open the big glass doors and walked through the busy parking lot to the Range Rover that was sitting in Leah's spot. "I'll be happy when you get your convertible back, Leah, because this thing is too damned tall to get into." Tess mumbled as she opened the door and climbed into the front seat. _

"_Trust me, as soon as my brother get's his head out of his ass, I'll have my car back." The curly blonde said while adjusting her mirror. Turning around to talk to Sophie, Tess furrowed her eyebrows. _

"_Any idea where Sophie is, Leah, or are we just peacing out without her today?" She asked. Rolling her eyes but smiling, Leah continued to back out of her spot and then started towards the exit._

_As she waved a few people in front of her, she pushed her sunglasses out of her eyes and into her hair so her bangs would stop falling into her eyes. "She's with Jack, going over 'notes.' But we all know that they're just flirting in the library and generally being adorable." Laughing, Tess settled back into her seat and watched the scenery go by. They were just getting off the exit to head into Los Angeles when Leah looked down at her phone. "Hey, do you care if we head over to my house for a minute?"_

"_Yeah, sure, that's fine. I was going to ask you to drop me off at the Palm Woods anyway. I need to ask Kendall a question." Raising her eyebrows in a suggestive manner, Leah laughed as Tess shooed her off and then pulled into the parking complex of her father's hotel/her home. Walking into the spacious lobby, Leah smiled and waved happily at her favorite concierge, Wendall. "Afternoon, Wendy!" Tess said with a smile while he rolled his eyes._

"_And how are you beautiful girls doing this lovely day?" The admittedly gay man asked with a wink. Laughing Leah signed the paper to pick up her package and they waved goodbye at the man as they got on the private elevator that would bring them to the penthouse. After swiping her card, the eleveator started to move. _

"_What do you think these are?" Leah asked while looking over the official looking envelope. "Zack said they were really important and to pick them up right away while he goes to school to sign some papers or something. He's not going back for the semester because he said he's needed at home. I'm just really pissed that no one is saying anything to me and everyone is being so freaking secretive."_

_Putting an arm around her cousin, Tess patted her on the back while the elevator-dinged open and they stepped out to open the door to Leah's house. "I'm sure it's nothing, Leah. Probably just Zack being stupid and indecisive as usual." As they stepped into the apartment, Leah frowned while she noticed that it looked like no one had been at home since the week before. She had been staying at Leah's for the past few nights, about a week since the incident at the beach had happened, and it looked like the apartment hadn't been lived in since she'd gotten back._

"_I wonder where the hell my mom has been?" She wondered aloud as Tess went into the kitchen and checked the fridge. She frowned when she noticed nothing in there and no money on the magnet next to the freezer where Leah's mother usually left it for groceries. Getting a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, she walked into the living room where Leah was standing. _

"_Leah, you want to grab some clothes and just stay at my house tonight?" She asked trying to divert her cousin's attention from the envelope she was holding in her hand. Walking over to her, Tess put her hand on her shoulder while Leah's hands shook._

"_I have to open it. Something is up and no one is telling me anything. This 'very important document' obviously has something to do with it, so I'm opening it. And if no one is here to tell me not to then I can't be held responsible." The blonde reasoned as Tess stood by watching. _

_Ripping into the envelope, she pulled out the papers inside and read over the first few paragraphs as her face continued to fall. "What is it, Lee?" Tess asked and closing her eyes, Leah just shook her head and laughed before tossing the papers on the coffee table. _

"_I should have seen this coming." Leah said with a shake of her head, then with a sigh, she walked into her room. Not knowing what to do, Tess looked down at the papers and felt her throat close up some. No way. This could not be happening. The only word standing out on the paper in front of her was printed in bold letters. _Ann Monroe files for Divorce from Jack Monroe_ blah blah blah. _

"_Leah," Tess said in a dejected voice while walking into her friend's room where she was grabbing clothes and other things she would need in her biggest Vera Bradley bag. Shaking her head and wiping under her eyes quickly, Leah zipped the bag up before swinging it over her shoulder. _

"_I'm going to stay at your house for a little while, if that's okay with you?" She said in a small voice and Tess nodded before walking back out of the apartment with her cousin. Once they were safely back in the car, Leah started to pull out of the hotel. "So, mind if I tag along to the Palm Woods with you?" Her laugh was shaky and Tess smiled, trying to keep the sympathy off of her face. _

_Looking out the window as the cloudy sky turned a little darker, she nodded her head. "Of course. I'm just going to ask Kendall to do a song at the benefit with me. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes as long as I can get him to agree. Although I have no idea what song to do." _

_Leah laughed and sped along the streets, her sunglasses firmly in place over her red eyes even though the sun wasn't out. "I'm sure he'll agree in no time. You are like the love of his life anyway." She let out a loud laugh when Tess rolled her eyes and shoved her slightly. "Anyway, I'm sure you'll think of something. I, on the other hand, have no clue what I'm going to do."_

"_Why don't you play? It's been forever since you've actually sat down at the piano." Tess said and Leah shrugged non-commitedly. _

"_It's also been forever since I've seen my mom at one of our shows. She's the only reason I even played in the first place. I don't think it's going to happen now." With a sad smile, she pulled into the Palm Woods and unbuckled her seat belt as the valet came to get the door. "Hey, Tess, don't tell anyone about my mom and dad, alright? Not even Sophie. I just don't want the sympathetic looks right now."_

_Nodding her head, Tess grabbed Leah's hand and squeezed. "Not a soul." As they hopped out of the car, Tess suddenly felt her nerves jump to the top of her throat. If Kendall didn't agree to this, she was going to have to resort to a solo. Not that she didn't think she could sing on her own, but she didn't want to get up on the stage by herself if she didn't have to._

_Walking into the bustling Palm Woods, it was easy to spot the boys, who were being berated by the Manager of the hotel. "If it happens again, you're out. I mean it this time. Turning the pool into a bubble bath is NOT IN THE CONTRACT!" Smiling happily, the boys ignored the man's screaming until he got bored and stalked off into his office._

"_You boys sure know how to start a party, don't you?" Tess said from next to Leah, who was smiling and rolling her eyes. Looking over at the two girls, the boys all grinned while Logan and Carlos checked their phones. _

"_It's what we do best." Carlos said before nudging Logan and pointing at the time. "We've got to run and do some, uhm, errands. See you at school." The two looked back at Kendall and James flintily before hustling out of the doors where Leah and Tess had just come. _

"_What's up with them?" Leah asked and Kendall and James both shrugged before exchanging a look._

"_Well, whatever, we didn't come here to just chat. Knight, I need to talk to you for a minute." Tess said before taking the boy's arm and pulling him towards the quiet part of the lobby, leaving James and Leah standing awkwardly next to each other. "Want to go to the park?" James asked, and Leah shrugged before following the boy out._

_Turning towards Kendall, Tess tried to smile charmingly. "So, Knight, we're friends, right?" She asked and looking at her warily, Kendall nodded slightly. "Good, well, you know the benefit is on Friday and as friends I was thinking that you could help me out with something."_

"_Well, friend, what would that be?" Kendall asked sitting in a recliner and leaning back contentedly. Tess rolled her eyes at the blonde boy and smiled at him._

"_You could help me out by singing a duet with me?" She posed it as a question, leaving him room to refuse if he really wanted to, but she hoped he wouldn't. _

"_What's in it for me, friend?" Kendall asked with a smile on his face. He was going to do the duet with her, because they were friends of course, but she didn't have to know that. And if he could get her to give up the ice-queen act with him then it would benefit the whole group dynamic. At least, that's what he told himself. He wasn't helping her because she had pretty aqua eyes or really long legs. Nope, that wasn't it at all._

_Trying not to frown, Tess put her arm across her chest and then sat in the recliner opposite of him. "What is it that you want, Kendall?" She asked, noticing the way his eyebrow rose when she actually addressed him by his first name, which was a rare occurrence for her. She didn't know why it was so hard for her to let him in. But she was guarded with trusting people, and she just had a feeling that he wasn't telling her the whole truth._

"_I want to pick the song." He said with a smile, already thinking of duets that would finally break the streak they had going on picking fights and being semi-mean, semi-teasing with each other. He would make her see that he wasn't all bad, even though she was determined that he wasn't telling her the hwole truth. _

_Rolling her eyes and smiling at him, she held her palm out across the table. "Fine, Knight, you've got a deal."_

_End Flashback_

"_Well, now, it takes more than a robin,"_ Kendall sang while walking across the stage towards Tess, who was swaying slightly and acting like she was ignoring him. "_To make the winter go. And it takes two lips for fire, to melt away the snow."_

Puckering up, the audience laughed as Tess looked at him and rolled her eyes playfully before pushing off of the makeshift desk she'd been leaning against and started to walk away, her black heels clacking as her dress fluttered around her. Her tight pin curls bounced as she turned around and walked backwards while she began her part.

"_Well it takes two hearts a cookin', to make a fire grow. And baby, you've got what it takes." _Stopping, she crossed her arms, with one arm raised up and pointed at him. "Now, listen, honey." She said in a normal voice as Kendall stopped in front of her and said, "Alright, baby."

"_You know it takes a lot of kissin,' oh, to make a romance weak." _Putting her hand to Kendall's chest she pushed slightly with a grin on her face and then took her hand back and crossed her arms. _"Oh, it takes a lot of lovin' to make my life complete." _Grabbing her wrist, Kendall pulled her back and swung her around as her dress went wide and the audience clapped.

"_Oh, well it takes somebody special to knock me off my feet." _Acting like he'd fallen back a few steps, he shook his finger at her before smiling suavely. _"And baby, you've got what it takes."_

Together, they mimicked each other's movements and began to do a dance. _"I said, oh."_ They sang together and then they continued to dance to a swing-style movement before spinning out and facing the crowd.

"_You know you've got just what it takes because it takes more than an effort to stay away from me. And it takes more than a lifetime to prove that I'll be true." _Kendall danced smoothly around Tess who stood with a cocky smile on her face as she sang her next line to the boy who was standing behind her.

"_But it takes somebody special, to make me say I do."_ Tess pursed her lips and rolled her eyes as Kendall looked a little taken a back until he moved to her side as if to look at her questioningly and then they both put easy smiles on their faces as they turned towards each other and Kendall pulled her towards him.

"_And baby, you've got what it takes."_ Together they sang to each other and spun around while they both smiled. Tess felt her heart race a little as she stared into Kendall's sea-green eyes but pushed that feeling away as she hummed her next line. "_Ahhh, oh."_

"_Uh-huh, ooh. You know you've got just what it takes."_ With a unexpected dip, Kendall sang to Tess as his face flushed a little from their close contact. His face twitched for just a second before his smile fell back into place and no one noticed except for Tess who sent him an odd look.

Shaking it off, she came back up from the dip and then pushed him back a little bit. With a coy smile, she put her hand on her hip and used her other to point at him and then smirked._"Oh, because it takes a lot of effort to stay away from you. And it takes more than a lifetime to prove that I'll be true."_

"_Oh, it takes somebody special to make me say I do."_ Kendall sang with a wink and they moved a little bit away from each other for the finale as Tess got ready for the closing of the song.

Together, they sang to the line twice before Tess stopped and Kendall continued to move back more. _"And baby, you've got what it takes."_

"_Baby, don't you know you've got what it takes." _As Kendall sang the final line, Tess started to skip towards Kendall and finally as the song finished playing, Tess jumped up into Kendall's waiting arms as he spun her around and the curtain dropped. The crowd clapped and from behind the curtain, Kendall slowly lowered Tess to the ground with a smile. "Told you it'd work." He said and as neither of the two stopped smiling, they slowly drew closer until they were just a breath away.

"Guess I should have believed you." She said with a deep breath and then standing on her tip toes, she leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

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Cliffhanger! (Ducks head) Sorry! I'll update soon though, promise.


	8. Come Home

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the songs used in this chapter or the characters you own. Those belong to One Republic, Big Time Rush, and Maroon 5, as well as Nickelodeon and Dan Schneider.

Author's Note: Well, lovely people! Here is the second half of the performances that I have promised you. Thank you so much to all the people that reviewed last chapter and I'm sorry that I left you with a cliffhanger for that one! However, it will all be revealed in the next chapter as well as some new things that will get everyone excited. I also have the rest of the story figured out and planned so chapters should come a bit easier now that everything is ready. Next chapter we'll have Leah and James' flashback, Logan and Sophie's flashback, as well as some Gustavo Roque/Mrs. Burbage action (wonder what that entails?) and the girl's having a family meeting where they all sit down and we get to meet the family! But for now, enjoy, shall we?

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_Chapter 8:_

"_Come Home"_

Stepping onto the stage, Leah brushed her bangs out of her eyes while walking towards the microphone set up in the middle of the stage. She didn't want background singers, dancers, or any of those things to get her message across today. What she wanted was to look into her mother's eyes as she sang and really let her know how she felt. After a week of staying at Tess' house, much to everyone's wonderings (she really was thankful that Tess hadn't told anyone, even though it was killing Leah to keep a secret from Sophie, she just couldn't face it yet), she was ready to go home and ready for her family to be a _family_ again.

Taking a breath, she looked over to the piano player who was standing slightly behind her. Nodding her head, she waited for him to begin and felt the lights go up softly from around her, illuminating her cream colored dress, navy blue flats, and blonde hair. She listened to the first few chords and then opened her mouth to begin. _"Well, hello world, hope you're listening. Forgive me if I'm young, speaking out of turn."_

Finally opening her eyes and looking up, she saw her friends in the front row watching her closely, and she avoided eye contact as she tried to find her parents' faces in the crowd. Her voice wavered slightly, but she pushed through it, making herself sound melancholy and vulnerable, as the song called for. "_There's someone I've been missing._ _I think that they could be the better half of me."_

_"They're in the wrong place trying to make it right._ _But I'm tired of justifying,_ _so I'll say to you."_ Taking the microphone from the stand, she walked slightly around it to the front of the stage where she looked out towards the crowd and felt herself close her eyes slightly as she sang the chorus. "_Come home, come home, cus' I've been waiting for you for so long, so long."_ Finally opening her eyes again, her vision landed on her father and brother, who were sitting in the middle aisle watching her closely. Trying to imagine them alone in the room together, she put her all into the rest of the chorus, deciding that if her mother wasn't there then she would sing to her father. If anything, he would fix it. Right?

"_And right now there's a war between infinities, but all I see is you and me. The fight for you is all I've ever known," _The music slowed down, she hadn't even realized the rest of the band had filled in as she had sang and she looked away when she sang the next part as she felt a few tears come to her eyes. "_So come home."_

Walking around the stage with the microphone in hand, Leah focused solely on the music trying not to think of her friend's faces, of James' face as he watched her sadly, knowing exactly what was going through her head, and of her father, who was probably hurting just as much, if not more now that he knew why she had been at Tess' all week. What he thought was just a cousinly-bonding sleepover actually turned out to be her, not wanting to be home alone again, where everyone knew things that she didn't. Feeling a set of eyes on her, Leah turned back to the crowd, locking eyes with James' hazel eyes and he smiled at her with encouragement.

"_I get lost in the beauty of everything I see. The world ain't half as bad as they paint it to be." _She sang while gesturing with one hand as she sang into the microphone with the other. She found herself smiling slightly as she looked at the boy in front of her, singing almost directly to him. Blinking, she looked away as she sang the next part, remembering why exactly she was singing this. Love didn't last in her life, and she couldn't get involved in it, no matter what her feelings towards James were. Especially since the picnic in the Palm Woods at the beginning of the week.

"_If all the sons, all the daughters, stopped to take it in," _Pausing slightly and looking at everyone in the crowd, she tried her best to convey her message without actually saying the words. "_Well, hopefully the hate subsides and the love can begin." _Going back to the stand, she hooked the microphone back in and swayed with the music as it began to crescendo for the second chorus. "_I might start now, yeah,_ _or maybe I'm just dreaming out loud."_

Shrugging her shoulders, she pointed out to the crowd and sang with every emotion she had felt in the past week, months, years. All the feelings of not knowing what to feel, or think, or do around her crumbling family. All of Sophie's feelings of being overlooked at home. All Tess' feelings of being abandoned by her parents and replaced by a new baby. She sang not only for her mother, but for her cousin's as well. "_But until then._ _Come home, come home,_ _cus' I've been waiting for you for so long, so long."_

Looking out over the crowd again, she felt herself stop a little as she saw them on their feet. She caught Tess' eye, and smiled slightly to her cousin who knew what was going on. They exchanged nods, words not having to be said, before Leah continued with only a bit more confidence in her voice. "_And right now there's a war between infinities,_ _but all I see is you and me._ _The fight for you is all I've ever known,_ _ever known, so come home."_

She watched as Logan put his arm around a teary-eyed Sophie, smiled slightly as she watched Tess clutch at an unexpecting Kendall's hand, even felt happy for a moment as Carlos and Camille mouthed the words along with her. "_Everything I can't be is everything you should be,_ _and that's why I need you here." _The words hit her slightly as she realized how true they were with her life. She needed the non-existent mother that she would never have. Another burning stare pierced her and she looked down at James, who was watching her, but this time it wasn't him. Looking around, she was surprised when she looked to the corner of the room, the blonde hair and model-esque stature of the woman all too familiar to her.

"_Everything I can't be is everything you should be," _Leah sang, this time directly to her mother, feeling the tears she had been keeping at bay all week spill from her eyes slowly. In the back of her mind, she couldn't believe she was being so dramatic. She laughed at girls like this all the time. This time, however, no one was laughing. _ "And that's why I need you here. So hear this now."_

Taking the microphone from the stand one more time, she walked to the front of the stage to sing the final refrain with all she had. "_Come home, come home,_ _cus' I've been waiting for you for so long, for so long. And right now there's a war between infinities,_ _but all I see is you and me." _She felt her voice waver as her tears slowed to a stop and the music became a little softer, following her lead while she scanned over the crowd with unseeing eyes, completely lost in the music now. "_And the fight for you is all I've ever known,_ _ever known, so come home." _

Backing up some, she felt herself take a deep breath, almost whispering the last line as the music played softly. "_Come home._" As she put the microphone back into the stand, the curtain closed slowly and she heard the clapping from the crowd as she walked back-stage. Almost immediately she was wrapped in Tess' arms, and she hugged her cousin back with all she had, before Sophie grabbed her around the middle.

"When this is all over, we're having girl's night." Was all she said and Leah nodded before shrugging out of Sophie's hold and sliding past the boy's, who were preparing for their next song, as she went to fix her make-up. When she was presentable, she joined Camille, Tess, and Sophie, along with the rest of the choir in the front row, where they would watch James, Carlos, Logan, and Kendall perform before Sophie closed the show.

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"Ladies and Gentlemen, if we could kindly direct your attention to the front row, we would like to dedicate this song to four lovely women in the choir." Kendall said with a wink at a blushing Leah, Sophie, Camille, and Tess. While Sophie rolled her eyes, the spotlight lit up the row of boys, starting with Carlos, and then James followed by Kendall, and lastly Logan. The band, standing behind them, started up an electro-pop tune that the girls didn't seem to recognize.

"_Here I am, there you are; why does it seem so far? Next to you is where I should be." _James sang while pointing between himself and Leah and then smiling as Logan echoed his 'where I should be' in the background. The crowd started to move and get into the song as he sang his next part. "_Something I want so bad, to know what's inside your head. Maybe I could see what you see."_ He and the boys harmonized while Logan continued the echo.

Blushing profusely, Leah tried not to grin as Tess and Sophie nudged her from either side. She, however, got her revenge as Logan to the microphone from his stand and walked _forward_ to crouch in front of the girls, singing to Sophie. "_I've got to keep on believing that everything takes time. And I'll make up any reason to make you mine."_ He winked at her and it was her turn to blush as he stood back up and walked back to where the boys were standing, smiling and ready to rock the crowd, while he continued singing. "_If you're staying or leaving, I'll follow your lead. So why keep pretending? Open your eyes; I can be what you need."_

In a synchronized move that had the crowd on their feet, the boys started the chorus as they danced in sync together. "_Any kind of guy you want girl, that's they guy I'll be." _Moving away from the stands, the boys held their microphones as they walked around the stage singing. "_Turn myself upside down."_

_ "Yes, I will. Yes, I will._" Logan sang in a electro-pop voice and Sophie couldn't help her slight laugh as the girls stood up as well and began to move around as the boys sang. "_Any kind of guy you want girl, you know I'll agree. Turn your whole world around."_

_ "Any kind, any kind, any kind of guy you want." _They harmonized as they began to strike different poses, sending the girls into laughter and causing the younger siblings and people in the crowd, namely the teen girls, to go wild. "_You decide, change your mind, I will be there. Won't you try, one more time? Be my any kind of girl. You decide, it's alright; I will be there."_

They broke off and Carlos stepped forward while James, Logan, and Kendall continued to do their synchronized moves in the background. Tess looked on extremely impressed and slightly chagrined. She hadn't really thought they could do this in the first place; but now they looked like professionals. "_You seem so hard to know: say goodbye, say hello. Then you say that it's time to go." _He sang making a kind of 'tsk, tsk' motion with his hand while James echoed him in the background with a 'now it's time to go.'

In the next line, Kendall stepped up to harmonize with the Latino boy as James and Logan moved the microphone stands out of the way so they could continue the performance without having to step around them constantly. "_Changing my point of view. Everyday something new; anything to get next to you!" _He sang and Camille mimed fanning herself as he blew her a kiss. They worked the crowd well, Sophie noticed as the boys continued to dance with each other in sync, and with better timing than the girls themselves. With the harmonies, echoing, and dancing, they sounded like a band instead of just four friends.

_"I've got to keep on believing that everything takes time. And I'll make up any reason to make you mine."_ Kendall sang the bridge while walking to the front of the stage and singing directly to Tess, who smiled slightly and watched him. The crowd continued to dance around her, but in that moment, Tess felt like the only girl in the room as Kendall's green eyes glittered excitedly for her. "_If you're staying or leaving, I'll follow your lead. So why keep pretending? Open your eyes; I can be what you need!"_

Jumping back into formation, Carlos and Kendall stood in the middle and sang while James and Logan stood facing them, each on an opposite side, and they winked at the girls before executing perfect back flips. "_Any kind of guy you want girl, that's the guy I'll be (that's the guy I'll be). Turn myself upside down (yes, I will)." _Jumping down from the stage, the boys began to walk throughout the auditorium, their wireless microphones allowing them to walk halfway up the stairs while still working perfectly. Dancing with a few of the little girls in the crowd, they brought one each up to the stage with them while continuing to sing.

"_Any kind of guy you want girl, you know I'll agree (you know I'll agree). Turn your whole world around (yes, I will)." _As the girls stood on stage, Sophie, Tess, Leah, and Camille laughed while the boys took turns singing to them as they all blushed furiously and one bold one kept hold of Kendall's hand. "_Any kind, any kind, any kind of guy you want._ _You decide, change your mind; I will be there (I'll be there)._ _Won't you try one more time? Be my any kind of girl._ _You decide, it's all right; I will be there."_

With a smile, Kendall extracted the girl's hold on him and left her with the other boys while he walked to the front of the stage and gestured towards Tess, who watched him with rapt attention as he held her stare. Him singing this to her now was like something out of her rock star fantasies, except he wasn't from Maroon 5, but oh, well. "_Let me know if I'm getting through;" _He sang before backing up and letting Logan come forward. "_Making you understand."_ He sang while pointing at Sophie.

"_If it's wrong I'll try something new." _James sang with a smile at Leah, whose cheeks were rosy red from the blush staining her pale cheeks. "_Don't look away, because I'm here to stay._ _If it's a game, then I'm going to play." _James and Carlos sang while both looking in opposite directions, doing some sort of dance move that must've taken hours to perfect, and the girls were all flattered at the effort. This was the most any guy, including their father's, had ever done for them.

"_Pick any kind of guy you want girl and that's the guy I'll be (that's the guy I'll be). Turn myself upside down (yes, I will)." _They continued dancing, escorting the girls they had brought on stage with them back to their seats while continuing the song. "_Any kind of guy you want girl,_ _you know I'll agree (you know I'll agree)._ _Turn your whole world around (yes, I will)."_

They made it back onto the stage, readying them for the final refrain, each of them adding their own flare to their dancing and singing to each individual girl. The crowd was still on their feet, all of them clapping along to the band that Gustavo had yet to realize that he funded them for the night. Sure enough, he'd realize it, or Kelly would at least, when some wayward parent uploaded the whole thing to YouTube the next day and was paid a nice sum to take it down again. In their eyes, however, it would be totally worth it if they got their girls to realize the song was so true.

"_Any kind, any kind, any kind of guy you want. You decide, change your mind; I will be there (I'll be there)." _James harmonized the last phrase, letting his voice ring out through the auditorium while Kendall, Logan, and Carlos continued singing. They lined back up in a row, ready for the final part as they sang._ "Won't you try one more time? Be my any kind of girl. You decide, it's all right; I will be there." _They all turned around as the band stopped suddenly, and then, with a smirk, Kendall turned around and sang/spoke. "_Bring it back."_

"_Any kind, any kind, any kind of guy you want (any type of guy). You decide, change your mind; I will be there." _Everyone cheered loudly as the boys bowed and the curtain dropped. They switched their microphones off and smiled at each other, hitting and shoving each person as they joked around before thanking the band as they moved off stage into the back-stage area. Mrs. Burbage, who had been watching the performances from the wings of the stage, congratulated them each before they turned and saw Sophie, who was closing the performance, standing with her hands on her hips with a smile.

"That was a very compelling performance," She said with a smirk before squeezing past them all, grabbing Logan's hand briefly. They watched her prepare with a smile and then made their way to the front row where everyone congratulated them on their first performance, Leah and Tess with considerable blushes on their faces as Kendall and James wrapped their arms around the back of the respective girl's seat.

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As the guitar started the song and the drums joined in, Sophie stood with a smirk on her face and her brunette hair pulled back off of her face with a pretty bone clip. This was one of her favorite songs and she was going to do it justice. She thought of the boy she was singing to; his Zac Efron looks weren't going to help him anymore. Then she thought of the boy who had helped her pick out the song, helped her realize how she was going to extract her revenge on Jack Green. She heard the notes that would lead to her first line and let the smile light up her face as she held the microphone in her hand and brought it to her lips.

"_Can you see me floating above your head as you lay in bed, thinking about everything that you did not do?" _She sang with a vengeance as the lights flicked on and she began to prance around the stage as if she was talking to someone that was actually there. Well, he was there, just not on stage with her. "_Cus saying I love you has nothing to do with meaning it."_

_ "Oh, yeah, and I don't trust you; cus every time you're here your intentions are unclear." _Spotting her victim in the crowd, she took a leaf out of the boys' playbook and jumped off the stage in her skinny jeans and black boots and began to make her way up the stairs where Jack was sitting. She took in his features as he smirked at her and she sang. "_I spent every hour waiting for a phone call," _Here she paused and acted like she was on the phone before grabbing his hand and pulling him, unsuspecting, with her back to the stage. "_That I know will never come. I used to think you were the one and now I'm sick of thinking anything at all."_

They climbed together onto the stage and she smiled as she saw that Burbage had kindly brought out a stool for them once she realized what Sophie was doing. As Jack sat down, cocky grin still on his face (he must not have recognized the song, Sophie thought belatedly) Sophie began the refrain. "_You ain't ever coming back to me. And that's not how this was supposed to be. Take my hand just to give it back; no other lover has ever done that. Do you remember the way we used to melt? Do you remember how it felt when I touched you?" _As she began to circle him, she made her facial expression take on one of despair as she switched the microphone to her other hand and ran her hand over Jack's shoulders while she circled him. "_Oh, cus I remember very well_."

"_Whoa, and how long has it been since someone you let in has given what I gave to you? And at night when you sleep do you dream I would be there? Just for a minute or two, do you?_" She sang with an innocent look on her face before rounding on him and letting her face slip up so he could see just how pissed off she really was. As she sang, he looked at her like he was innocent, but neither she nor the crowd were buying it. After all, they knew Jack Green.

"_You ain't ever coming back to me. That's not how this was supposed to be. Take my hand just to give it back, no other lover has ever done that!" _Shoving him lightly so he rocked on the stool, he flung his hand to the side to steady himself as she played up the woman scorned card and the girls in the crowd went wild as the boys chuckled at the boy's fortune. "_All in all I thought we had so much: a separate love with a complex touch. But there ain't nothing you can say or do. I called to let you know I'm through with you."_

With that she shoved him lightly again as the crowd cheered and the band picked up, as she got ready for the second verse. Sending Logan a wink, she smiled at her friends who were watching in slight confusion, she hadn't told the about Jack and his debauchery, but she could tell that Leah was relieved and Tess looked to be enjoying her public humiliation of Jack.

"_Oh, yeah_." The guitar and piano went on a solo while she walked around and gestured at him, then looked to the crowd, shaking her head at him like he was evil. Before she had to sing again, she stepped up to him and whispered so the microphone wouldn't pick up. "We are so done." With that, she stood back in the spotlight and lifted the microphone to her lips once more.

"_You ain't ever coming back to me and that's not how this was supposed to be!_" She let her voice rise and carry, so that she hit the high-note without so much as a whisper of self-doubt and smirked as the crowd cheered, Leah and Tess clapping as she continued on. "_You take my hand just to give it back; no other lover has ever done that. All in all, that guy_," She gestured to Jack, changing a few words to fit her situation. "_Just had so much; a separate love with a complex touch. There is nothing you can say or do_."

Walking away from him, she walked over towards the side of the stage and acted like she was holding up a phone and putting it to her ear. She sent Jack a look and he hesitantly did the same while she sang the last part of the song with as much viciousness and fury as she could. "_I called to let you know I'm through; I called to let you know I'm through_." Pointing her hand at Jack, she sang the last part as the crowd cheered her on loudly. "_I called to let you know I'm through with you. And I ain't never coming back to you_."

Smiling her prettiest smile at him, she then smirked as the crowd cheered her on and she bowed, before Burbage ushered her off the stage and Jack went back to her seat. "And that concludes tonight's performance!"

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Well, what'd you think? Reviews?


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